FirstLink’s 988 Lifeline, 988, is connected to a national network of crisis services, so no call for help is unanswered.  Our Call Specialists help those who are having thoughts of suicide themselves, or who have a concern about someone.

DIAL 988

Crisis Service Agencies contract with FirstLink to answer their phones after hours.

FirstLink maintains a database of community resources that contains primarily nonprofit agencies, health and human services agencies, and government resources. You can search the database by clicking below on the “Community Resources” link. Our Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria describes which agencies and organizations are appropriate to be included or not included in the database.

FirstLink offers the Care and Support Program that receives referrals from hospitals and clinics across North Dakota as well as the 211 Helpline and the National Suicide Prevention Line. This program offers informal resources and coping strategies, encourages mental health treatment, and provides non-judgmental listening and support. Calls are offered weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly and work around your schedule.

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

DIAL 988

FirstLink’s Suicide Education Outreach has provided the community with valuable information since 1996. Participants receive training on warning signs, risk factors and statistics. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds. Students receive valuable and beneficial information that may help them save their own life or the life of someone they know.

FirstLink offers Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) to the community. This is a 2-day workshop to train individuals to become suicide first aid caregivers.

FirstLink offers Suicide Prevention Trainings to local professionals. Trainings can be tailored to meet the needs of the organization or agency.

211 University is a one-hour training. Database staff will share tips and tricks including how to search and find community resources through our online database, texting services, trainings offered by FirstLink and more! In addition, staff will highlight important trends, requests and types of contacts from previous years. Previous needs data has been utilized to identify areas of opportunity to meet the needs of all community members.

Training Objectives

Participants will:

• Will be able to search FirstLink’s online database effectively
• Will be able to identify typical helping resources in the community
• Will have knowledge on how to access community resources

FirstLink offers Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) to the community. This is a 2-day workshop to train individuals to become suicide first aid caregivers.

FirstLink offers Suicide Prevention Trainings to local professionals. Trainings can be tailored to meet the needs of the organization or agency.

FirstLink’s Suicide Education Outreach has provided the community with valuable information since 1996. Participants receive training on warning signs, risk factors and statistics. Students receive valuable and beneficial information that may help them save their own life or the life of someone they know.

For more information or to register for our upcoming trainings visit our events page, click here or call FirstLink’s administrative office at 701-293-6462 and ask to speak with the Education and Training Coordinator.

safeTALK is a half-day alertness workshop that prepares anyone over the age of 15, regardless of prior experience or training, to become a suicide-alert helper. Most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die but are struggling with the pain in their lives. Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay alive. safeTALK-trained helpers can recognize these invitations and act by connecting them with life-saving intervention resources, such as caregivers trained in ASIST.

CEUs are available.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be better able to:

• Dispel myths about suicide
• Identify indicators of suicidal risk
• Identify and use the 4-step TALK process with someone at risk of suicide
• Refer a person at risk of suicide to appropriate resources

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day workshop designed for all community members. The goal is to enhance a caregiver’s ability to assist a person at risk of suicide. ASIST enhances skills to intervene until either the immediate risk of suicide is reduced, or additional life-assistance resources can be found. CEUs are available.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be better able to:

• Dispel myths about suicide
• Identify indicators and assess suicidal risk
• Intervene with a person at risk for suicide
• Reduce barriers which hinder the ability to be direct and comfortable with suicidal situations
• Engage in building resource networks for individuals at risk of suicide

This training is designed to improve participants’ knowledge about suicide risk factors and assessing for acute suicide risk using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) screening tool, which is an evidenced based tool for screening for suicide risk. This training presents an overview of suicide statistics in our area as well as acute and lifetime risk factors. Those who attend this training will be taught the C-SSRS screening tool, options for addressing suicide risk such as collaborative safety planning and resources for those at risk of suicide.

Course Objectives

During the training participants will learn:

• Lifetime risk factors for suicide
• Acute risk factors for suicide
• How to use the C-SSRS screening tool to screen for suicide risk
• Six-step safe plan for suicide risk
• Resources for those at risk of suicide

Mental Health First Aid is an interactive 8-hour course that teaches you how to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The training helps you identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

The training presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces you to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments.

CEUs are available.

FirstLink offers two versions of Mental Health First Aid. Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed for adults that frequently interact with youth. Adult Mental Health First Aid focuses on training adults helping adults. To learn more about upcoming Mental Health First Aid trainings visit our Events page.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be better able to:

• Spot the potential risk factors and warning signs for a range of mental health needs, including: depression, anxiety/trauma, psychosis, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and self-injury.
• Understand the prevalence of various mental health disorders in the U.S. and the need for reduced stigma in their communities.
• Utilize a 5-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources, and knowledge to assess situations, to select and implement appropriate interventions, and to help individuals in crisis connect with appropriate professional care.
• Connect individuals with the professional, peer, social, and self-help resources available to help someone with a mental health need.

FirstLink is contracted by the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo, and the Counties of Cass and Clay to coordinate volunteers in a disaster. FirstLink has experience in managing volunteer check-in sites and a disaster volunteer helpline during disasters.

If you are interested in volunteering with FirstLink during a disaster, please register.