Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Session

Knowing the risk factors and warning signs of someone who may be thinking about ending their life allows us the opportunity to take action. QPR is the acronym for Question, Persuade & Refer, a gatekeeper suicide prevention training. The QPR training will not only teach you how to recognize someone who may be at risk, but it will also provide you with the three concrete skills to help. Like CPR, QPR is designed for everyday people to know how to help someone who is in crisis by asking the suicide question, persuading the person to stay alive and accept help and how to get them to the resources that can help. Join this short training to gain skills to help you support loved ones, friends, students, and anyone else you may come across.  

QPR is an evidence-based suicide prevention training that teaches participants:  

1) The warning signs and risk factors of suicide  

2) How to ask someone about suicide  (Question)  

3) How to encourage them to seek support (Persuade)  

4) How to help them get the help that they need (Refer)  

To learn more about QPR please visit: https://qprinstitute.com/ 

In-person Sessions are offered in D-term for faculty and staff only

• March 21, 2023 01:00 PM to 02:30 PM, Meets in Campus Center, Hagglund Room  

Registration for this free training session is REQUIRED. To register for the March 21, 1:00 pm in-person session, click here or the register button below. Meets in Campus Center, Hagglund Room. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting and a calendar invite.

About the Trainer

Sarah Gaer holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and has 24 years experience in the field of mental health care. Sarah has been an outpatient clinician, crisis clinician and member of trauma response teams responding to homicides, suicides, terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Sarah was the Senior Team Leader for MassSupport Network, the FEMA funded Crisis Counseling Program responding to Covid19 in Massachusetts. She is a Master Trainer for the QPR Institute and has trained over 1000 first responders in Massachusetts. Sarah recently works as a consultant in suicide prevention and trauma recovery and recently spearheaded long term recovery efforts at Holyoke Soldier’s Home, which experienced a mass causality event during Covid-19. Sarah also holds a contract with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health creating and providing training for Law Enforcement on topics such as suicide prevention, toxic stress and resilience building. Sarah is a National Trainer for Psychological First Aid and sits on the Executive Committee for the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention.