Early Intervention and Connection: Take Responsibility To Engage
September is Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide prevention is the responsibility of each Soldier and Army community member, and we all protect one another through the connections we build within our ranks.
Engage is a two-hour workshop that supports suicide prevention efforts across the enterprise by providing tangible skills each of us can use. The workshop reinforces the concept of taking personal responsibility to intervene with a team member, subordinate or supervisor before a problem escalates.
Based on a wide range of positive, prosocial behaviors (actions that are intended to help others without expecting anything in return), the Engage workshop emphasizes early intervention and early connection and helps participants build stronger bonds within their units so teammates are more willing to ask for help and others notice the need to help sooner. The Engage model has three components: I Am Aware; I Am Responsible; I Have a Plan. Each one can help you change the trajectory of a potentially risky or challenging situation.
- I Am Aware: Gain situational awareness and be present to notice what is happening around you.
- Action: If you’ve seen or heard something that concerns you, check your observations, collect more information, and decide if the situation is concerning.
- Ask yourself: “Does this situation require someone to engage?”
- I Am Responsible: Take personal responsibility to help. you.
- Action: If you’ve determined that the situation is concerning, challenge any personal barriers that may keep you from taking responsibility to act.
- Ask yourself: “Should I be the one who engages?”
- I Have a Plan: Engage in a situationally appropriate, safe and productive way.
- Action: Consider the variety of ways you or outside resources can assist; then decide on the best course of action for the situation.
- Ask yourself: “How can I change the direction of this situation?”
The Engage workshop helps Soldiers learn concepts and practice skills that cover many areas of care, from proactive and prosocial behavior to crisis intervention. This training complements more in-depth knowledge and skills that the Army’s Suicide Prevention Program provides.
During the workshop Soldiers share their experiences, learn from one another and gain the knowledge of how to intervene early. Engage culminates with an exercise in which participants apply and practice the skills they’ve learned in real-life scenarios, so they feel confident in their ability to change the course of a concerning situation.
Engage is not an acronym–it is a directive. Soldiers have a duty as members of the Army community to uphold their personal and service Values by looking out for one another.
If you are interested in offering the Engage workshop to your unit, contact your local R2 Performance Center to schedule training.
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