FREE QPR training will be on Thursday, August 23rd

Project Safety Net (PSN), a Palo Alto Community Coalition for the well-being of youth, is hosting a free QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training which certifies participants with hands-on skills in 90 minutes. QPR stands for Question, Persuade and Refer, an emergency mental health intervention for suicidal persons created by Paul Quinnett in 1995. The training’s certification last three years and is similar to CPR in that it provides the basic tools to save someone’s life. You do not need to be a doctor or a mental health professional to make a difference. It’s that simple.

PSN started in 2009 when community members and institutions came together to address a cluster of teen suicides in the Palo Alto community. QPR trainings are one of the main ways to learn how to “ask the question” if someone is having thoughts of hurting themselves and what to do next. Suicide can be prevented and we can be the right person at the right time by having the courage and skills to refer a loved one for help.

At the QPR training you will learn:

• The early recognition of suicide warning signs.
• Early QPR including asking someone about the presence of suicidal thoughts and feelings while opening up a conversation that may lead to a referral for help.
• Early intervention and help: referral to local resources or calling 1-800-SUICIDE for evaluation or possible referral as well as offering hope and emotional support.
• Early professional assessment and treatment: early detection and treatment results to better outcomes meaning fewer lives lost.

PSN’s FREE QPR training will be on Thursday, August 23rd from 11-1pm at Lucie Stern Community Center. Please RSVP by Monday, August 20th to Christina Llerena, MSW, Project Safety Net’s Director at christina.llerena@cityofpaloalto.org  for free lunch and materials.  

Learn to ask the question. Be the change. You will make a positive difference in someone else’s life.