GREENSBORO, N.C. — Confronting someone who you think maybe having suicidal thoughts can be a difficult task. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and a Guilford County mental health nonprofit is providing others with the skills needed to help save lives.
This month, The Kellin Foundation is offering two free QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper training sessions to anyone in the community. QPR stands for question, persuade, and refer. Three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.
“So similar to CPR, it's a lifesaving training,” Alexandra Espitia, the Community Education and Outreach Team Lead, said. “We give people the training to help save a life and help inspire hope. With each person that we train, we hope they have that takeaway, that they can use the skills to learn to help others to show them that it doesn't have to be this way, that there are other options, that there's always going to be hope."
Organizers said the training is about two hours. During the session, participants will learn to recognize the warning signs of suicide and the steps to take if someone is considering taking their own life.
“It's just becoming aware of different behavioral changes,” Espitia said. “If someone is beginning to talk about hopelessness, talk about depression where they are not acting like their usual selves as you know them to be. That's something to look out for, they learn to listen closely to what the person is saying."
The in-person training will take place on September 15 and 20 from 5:00 PM- 7:00 PM at the Kellin Foundation. Class sizes are limited.
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