Suicide Prevention Training

"As a survivor of my husband's suicide, I can attest to the importance of suicide awareness training. I am grateful that the faculty of The Law Enforcement Wellness Association is dedicated to reducing the statistics of police suicide as well as eliminating the stigma that is placed upon families."

Teresa Tate, Founder
Survivors of Law Enforcement Suicide (S.O.L.E.S.)

The Law Enforcement Wellness Association commends the work of Teresa Tate and the chapters of the Survivors of Law Enforcement Suicide. Suicide within the ranks of law enforcement is a national problem. Officers, co-workers, and family members with the proper training can intervene and save the lives of those who have reached the end of the dark tunnel and found no light. The number one cause of suicidal thinking and behavior is untreated depression. Recognition and understanding partnered with modern medicine and trained mental health professionals can make life saving differences.

Law Enforcement Officers are incredibly adept at masking their emotions. This particular ability coupled with an inherent distrust of most mental health professionals can and does lead to suicide within the ranks of law enforcement. Research has told us that almost 80% of people contemplating suicide will let others know of their intent. The often subtle clues to suicidal thinking can go on for months or longer. Without training, these clues are usually ignored or passed off as "a bad day." No intervention takes place in most cases. With training, the warning signs of an individual contemplating suicide can sometimes become quite clear and a successful intervention take place. Good law enforcement training is designed to breed skill and confidence. Training within the realm of suicide prevention and intervention is no different. Without training the clues to suicidal thinking are often missed. With training we can, "Ask a question and save a life."

Police officers frequently come into contact with suicidal persons. In addition to being provoked or attacked by suicidal persons whose intention it is to oblige the officer shoot them in self-defense, police officers may learn of a fellow officer's personal suicide plan and may be the only "gatekeeper" able to respond in a life-saving manner to assist a brother or sister officer through a personal crisis.

Additionally, police officers are filling important gatekeeper roles while on duty in schools, neighborhoods, college campuses and other non-traditional work sites.

In surveys conducted by the QPR Institute and the Law Enforcement Wellness Association, senior police officers report high rates of contact with suicidal persons and uniformly express the need for more training in suicide prevention tactics.

Recently, the Surgeon General of the United States has identified police officers as "key gatekeepers" in need of suicide prevention training. In the Surgeon General's recently released National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action, Goal 6 calls for the implementation of "training for recognition of at-risk behavior" for law enforcement personnel. A complete copy of this document is available from the Center for Mental Health Services Knowledge Exchange Network by calling 1-800-789-2647, or at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library.

To help achieve this national objective, the Law Enforcement Wellness Association and the QPR Institute have developed state-of-the-art training programs for police officers who are in a position to identify, screen, and refer persons who may be at risk for suicidal behavior, including other officers. Called QPR Suicide Triage training, the program is based on QPR for Suicide Prevention (Question, Persuade and Refer), currently the most widely taught public health suicide awareness and prevention program in the United States.

In addition to specific modules on suicide and law enforcement, this 1-day course covers:

• The size and scope of the suicide problem in America
• The size and scope of the problem within the law enforcement profession
• Risk factors for suicide
• The myths of suicide Relationship of mental illness to suicide
• The current status of suicide risk assessment
• How to Question suicidal persons
• How to Persuade them to accept help
• How to Refer them to resources
• How to determine immediate risk for suicide
• How to document a suicide risk assessment

A Certificate of Course Completion is provided by the Law Enforcement Wellness Association and the QPR Institute and appropriate continuing education credits are available.

The Course Objectives are to:

• Become aware of the size and scope of the suicide problem in America and locally.
• Learn at least 10 risk factors for suicide
• Understand the relationship of mental illness to suicide
• Understand the current limitations of suicide risk assessment
• Learn how to interview a suicidal person, what questions to ask and why
• Learn to properly document a first level suicide risk assessment
• Become familiar, comfortable and competent in assessing and, if necessary, referring suicidal persons, either on the phone or in person.

Benefit summary of QPR Suicide Triage Training:

• Brief and user friendly
• Training in its use is standardized and competency-based
• Routinely addresses issues of suicide risk
• Heavily field tested
• Standardizes suicide risk data collection Improves triage decision making
• Reduces communication friction with other providers
• Peer reviewed and contributed to by leading suicidologists
• Routinely detects suicidal thoughts, feelings and plans
• Nests well with existing protocols and may be "migrated" into existing assessment/screening methods
• Enhances relationship with suicidal persons (89% of interviewees report high satisfaction with the interviewer's skill and comfort)
• Is accepted by triage and assessment professionals (94% believe it improves their standard of practice)
• Improves standards of care while reducing risk of exposure to suicide liability issues

Training Options for Qualified Agencies: This course is also offer in a train-the-trainer format. Agencies may purchase this licensed course and teach it to their own volunteers and staff, and to third parties. However, all students must be registered with the QPR Institute and pass the course quiz to receive a Certificate of Completion. Contact us for details.

Please visit www.qprinstitute.com or www.cophealth.com

Or feel free to call us at:

QPR Institute - 1-(888) 726- 7926

Law Enforcement Wellness Association - 1-(541) 935-2594