In immediate danger? Call 999. For free support any time, Samaritans are on 116 123. Mettle is a private outpatient practice - not a crisis service. Full local crisis resources →
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
What ASIST is.
ASIST is a two-day, evidence-based training programme developed by LivingWorks - an organisation that has trained over one million people worldwide in suicide intervention skills. It is internationally recognised as the gold standard for suicide first aid.
The training teaches helpers - therapists, doctors, teachers, managers, and community members - how to recognise when someone may be thinking about suicide, how to open a direct conversation, and how to work collaboratively toward a plan that keeps the person safe.
ASIST does not treat suicidal thinking as something to be managed from a safe distance. It trains helpers to engage with it directly - calmly, without judgement, and with a clear purpose.
At Mettle
Chris completed ASIST training through LivingWorks and works as an ASIST-trained Suicide First Aider in his private practice. The training directly shapes how he holds conversations with men experiencing suicidal thoughts - including within standard counselling sessions.
If you bring thoughts of suicide into a session at Mettle, you will not be met with alarm or deflection. The conversation will be held calmly, focused on understanding your situation and working toward what will keep you safe for now.
The ASIST intervention model
PAL - Pathway for Assisting Life.
PAL is the structured conversation model at the heart of ASIST. It guides the helper through a sequence of stages - not as a rigid script, but as a framework for making sure the conversation covers what matters most.
01
Connect
The first stage is making genuine contact. Not launching straight into questions or advice, but establishing enough trust that the person feels safe enough to speak honestly. Asking directly about suicidal thoughts - without euphemism - is part of this stage.
02
Understand
ASIST explores both the reasons the person has for ending their life and the reasons they have for staying alive. Both are held equally. Understanding what is driving the pain - and what still matters - shapes what comes next.
03
Assist
The final stage is working together on a Safe Plan. Not a promise. Not a contract. A practical, collaborative plan for what the person will do to stay safe for now - using the reasons for living identified in the previous stage.
The PAL framework is not a script. It is a way of structuring a conversation so it remains purposeful and human at the same time. The helper follows the person’s lead - but keeps the conversation anchored to what will keep them safe.
Output of the ASIST conversation
What a Safe Plan is.
A Safe Plan is a collaborative, written plan created during or after an ASIST conversation. It is not a no-suicide contract. It is not a promise to never feel this way again.
The focus is narrower and more honest than that: what will this person do to stay safe for now? The timeframe is kept realistic - not “forever”, but long enough to matter. The plan is personal, specific, and grounded in what the person said during the conversation.
A Safe Plan belongs to the person - not the helper. It is built together, using their words, their reasons for living, and the specific actions they agree to take. It gives the person something concrete to hold onto when the pull toward ending their life gets stronger.
What a Safe Plan typically covers.
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Warning signs
What does it look like when things are getting worse - thoughts, feelings, behaviours the person can recognise in themselves.
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Reasons for living
The specific people, things, or goals that still matter - identified during the conversation, in the person's own words.
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What to do first
Practical steps to take before the crisis deepens - distractions, coping strategies, safe environments to move to.
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Who to reach out to
Named individuals - family, friends, or services - the person agrees to contact if the plan above isn't holding.
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Professional support
Crisis lines, NHS services, or the counsellor - as a final layer of the plan when everything else has been tried.
In practice at Mettle
These thoughts are not too much for this room.
Many men arrive in counselling carrying thoughts of suicide they have not told anyone about. Sometimes those thoughts are vague - a quiet wish to not be here. Sometimes they are specific. Either way, they are welcome in the room.
ASIST training prepares Chris to ask about suicidal thoughts directly, without panic or judgement. Research consistently shows that asking does not plant the idea - it usually brings relief.
Being asked means being seen.
Where those thoughts are present, the PAL framework shapes how the conversation unfolds - connecting first, understanding what is driving the pain alongside what still matters, and then working together on what keeping safe looks like from here.
A Safe Plan is not handed over like a leaflet. It is built together during the conversation. If Chris and a client work toward one, it will be specific to that person’s situation - their language, their people, their reasons.
Mettle is a private outpatient practice, not a crisis service. That distinction matters. ASIST-trained support within counselling is not a substitute for emergency services or specialist mental health crisis teams where those are needed.
For local Southport and Merseyside crisis resources - including Samaritans, PAPYRUS, CALM, and NHS urgent support - see the local support page.
Questions men ask.
Will talking about suicidal thoughts make things worse?+
What happens if I tell my counsellor I'm thinking about suicide?+
Is a Safe Plan the same as a no-suicide contract?+
What does ASIST-trained mean in practice?+
Do I need to be in crisis to bring this up?+
These thoughts won’t scare Chris off.
If you are having thoughts of suicide - or supporting someone who is - the first step is a free 15-minute call. No commitment, no forms, no waiting list.
If you need crisis support right now, call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit the local support page.