Question, Persuade, Refer Training During Suicide Prevention Month

The participants entered purposely seeking knowledge. Some were quiet, while others laughed a little nervously. Each carried within them a reason for attending one of two QPR workshops on Suicide Prevention which were held September 12 and 14 at the HHSB Success Center. For Suicide Prevention Month, the Volunteers for Mental Health in Montgomery County and Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau, both United Way agencies, had joined together to share the important steps to potentially save a life.

In addition to three sequential steps elaborated from the letters Q, P, and R, trainer Sara Clapp also stressed that demonstrating caring and building relationships make preventing suicide possible. When burdens of work, finances, family, responsibilities and relationships seem too weighty to bear, to some “suicide,” Clapp said, “is seen as a solution to a perceived insolvable problem.”

Clapp, a YSB staff member, went on to explain that the QPR system is parallel to CPR. QPR trainees are not therapists or psychiatrists, but caring persons who initially help a troubled colleague, friend or family member and who then make certain to connect the person with highly-qualified care-givers as well as other resources.

Over forty individuals from all walks of life: social service workers, family members, educators, and clergy or community members, registered for the training. Volunteers for Mental Health provided the program free of charge through the support of Hoosier Heartland State Bank’s Shared Values Awards.

Additional QPR training will be offered in the future as well as the adult version of Mental Health First Aid training which will be offered on November 10. To learn more about these mental health trainings, one may visit VMHMC section of the Crawfordsville Yodel Community Calendar or www.vmhmc.org.