Suicide Prevention Training Feb 20 & 21
by Ranae Pape, Sublette County Community Prevention Specialist
February 11, 2014
When people learn how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, they help create a safety net in their communities for fellow residents who may find themselves in crisis, according to officials with the Prevention Management Organization of Wyoming (PMO).
Sublette County prevention professionals offer two types of free suicide prevention training: Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) or Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). PMO staff and activities are funded by the Wyoming Department of Health; both training options are offered free of charge to participants.
QPR will be held February 20th and 21st at the Pinedale Library. Sessions are held at 3:00, or 5:00 each day and a session takes between 1 to 1 ˝ hours.
"Asking someone if they are thinking about taking their own life could be a life-saving question," said Terresa Humphries-Wadsworth, director of statewide suicide prevention for the PMO. "Our goal is to train community members across all segments of society to have the knowledge and skills to help save those at risk for suicide."
"Just as people trained in medical techniques such as CPR and the Heimlich maneuver help save lives, learning to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis may also save lives," said Ranae Pape, a Sublette County community prevention professional with the PMO. "QPR training is simple and teaches how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help in a little over an hour."
ASIST is a comprehensive, two-day intervention-level training. After an ASIST workshop, people will be able to identify an at-risk person, talk with them, link them to appropriate care, and be part of a team improving the community’s response to suicide. ASIST training is accredited to count toward continuing education and training hours for certain professions. An ASIST course will be held in Pinedale in late June.
"However, the class is always open to the public," Pape said. "Most Wyoming residents will be affected by suicide at some point," Pape said.
Humphries-Wadsworth encouraged parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, human resource managers, police officers, advisors, caseworkers, firefighters to attend a local QPR or ASIST training session.
"Really, anyone can be strategically positioned to help someone at risk of suicide," she said.
For more information about the PMO, visit www.pmowyo.org.
For more information about training options, contact Ranae Pape, Community Prevention Specialist, Sublette County, Wyoming Prevention Management Organization, 307-360-6382, rpape@pmowyo.org.
|
