Each year, September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Month in the United States. This month provides individuals and organizations with a dedicated space to raise awareness, share resources, and focus on helping those reaching out. As stated in the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, “Although suicide is a complex behavior that can be influenced by many different factors, suicide is preventable. Suicide prevention requires a comprehensive approach that combines multiple strategies to reduce risk and strengthen protective factors at the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels.” 

One way the University of Arizona community is focusing on suicide prevention is by offering Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper training sessions. QPR is designed to help participants learn to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. These training sessions are provided by a team of individuals from across campus with different backgrounds and experiences in the field of suicide prevention.

I'm Chad Myler, and suicide is something that is very close to me. I am a suicide loss survivor as well as someone who has had their own attempt. I have had the opportunity to be a QPR instructor for nearly a decade and have been able to train thousands of individuals in this life-saving training and see the impact in the lives of those reaching out. Since my time at the University of Arizona, I have met amazing people on campus who have taken the training or set up training sessions for their colleagues. 

One of these campus colleagues, Tanya Nemec from CALES, shares her experience in both taking the training and setting up sessions for her colleagues. 

“People across the campus have felt extraordinary levels of stress, worry, and burnout in the last couple of years. As part of my College’s Staff Council, I wanted to provide a professional development opportunity that taught real communication skills that can be used both in and out of the workplace when you notice someone may be struggling. As someone who couldn’t help a friend in their last, most difficult moments, this program hits home for me and is something I wish I had back then. The QPR training provides a safe space to practice having those difficult conversations and learning how to ask hard questions. You can’t ever be truly “ready” to have a conversation like that, but you can take steps to be more prepared and confident in your approach when it really matters.  I will always be a proponent for this program and recommend it to anyone.”

Another campus colleague, Paula Rosemond from Human Resources Leaves, shares her experience of how beneficial the training can be. 

“For me, the QPR training took the difficult topic of suicide and gave me the empowerment to know I can approach a friend or family member who may be struggling. It provided resources that I previously hadn’t known about.  The instructors have an honest way of making an uncomfortable topic something that is bearable to talk about and shine the light on how very important it is to create awareness on how to recognize the warning signs of a person who needs help with thoughts of suicide.”

The campus community has embraced these important training sessions and scheduled them for their departments or classrooms. If you want to take steps to save a life, you can also set up a QPR training for your department or classroom.

September will end, but until we live in a world without suicide, prevention advocates will continue to fight against suicide. Join the fight this month and the future and be the light for someone. 

Additional Mental Health and Suicide Resources:

• 988
  • National 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.
• Warmlines
  • A warmline is a phone number you call to have a conversation with someone who can provide support during hard times. Whether you’re in crisis or just need someone to talk to, a warmline can help. Warmlines are staffed by trained peers who have been through their own mental health struggles and know what it’s like to need help.
• ComPsych
  • Free, confidential, short-term counseling is available to all benefits-eligible University of Arizona employees nationwide, their dependents, and members of their households through ComPsych.
• CredibleMind
  • CredibleMind is a free one-stop-shop digital platform that provides expert-curated and scientifically backed mental health self-care content. It's available to benefits-eligible employees and their households 24/7.
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
  AFSP is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take