Each year, lives are lost due to suicide, and this cause of death is preventable. One way to prevent suicide is to increase protective factors, such as: a connection with others, access to mental health care, access to basic needs, reduced access to lethal means, coping strategies, and problem-solving skills. Training community members in basic suicide prevention intervention skills provides all of these protective factors and can save lives.
Janeane Krongos, Tillamook Family Counseling Center’s Prevention Program coordinator, explains more, “For those that are interested in how they can help prevent suicide, I would recommend attending a Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper training. This training is an evidence-based suicide prevention training that has been used worldwide. In this training participants learn about suicide, suicide warning signs, conversations tips, and the three steps of QPR.” The training provides helpful tools to use and helps you to have those conversations, make a connection and be one of those “protective factors” that helps someone to seek help if they are considering suicide. Participants learn about community resources that they can help connect people to.
Since 2020, the Tillamook Family Counseling Center (TFCC) has offered the QPR Gatekeeper training to community members every other month (or as requested). From September 2020-August 2023, TFCC prevention staff has offered 32 QPR Gatekeeper trainings (29 in English and 3 in Spanish) and have trained close to 300 community members. This past year, TFCC has begun to offer QPR Gatekeeper trainings in the Spanish language. If you would like to learn more about this new offering, please contact Angelicao@tfcc.org. TFCC will present a virtual English QPR Gatekeeper training on September 11th from 10-11:30AM. If you would like to register for this training email to Janeanek@tfcc.org.
For more information about scheduling a QPR training for your business or organization, contact Janeane Krongos, TFCC Prevention Coordinator at 503-842-8201 or email to janeanek@tfcc.org. Go to www.tfcc.org or see the SOS Tillamook Facebook page.
If you are having thoughts about suicide, you are not alone, help is available. For local crisis support call the Tillamook County 24/7 crisis support at (503)842-8201. For national support call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800)273-8255.