EWU Launches On-Line Suicide Prevention Training Program

CHENEY, Wash. – One of the first on-line suicide prevention training programs in the United States is now being launched by Eastern Washington University’s School of Social Work and Human Services, in partnership with the QPR Institute, an internationally-recognized leader in the field.

Two courses are available addressing the issues of suicide prevention, suicide risk assessment and suicide risk management. The courses incorporate the question, persuade and refer (QPR™) best-practice model of suicide risk assessment and management developed by Spokane-based QPR Institute.

“National surveys report few college students preparing for careers in the helping professions receive sufficient training in this vital area of human behavior,” explained Paul Quinnett, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and executive director of the QPR Institute. “Offering suicide risk assessment and management training courses on-line allows us to easily reach a national and global audience of students and practicing professionals with this life-saving information.”

EWU’s School of Social Work and Human Services and Division of Educational Outreach have teamed with the QPR Institute to offer the on-line, one-credit courses. Students and working professionals can register to take the courses for university credit, continuing education units (CEUs) or non-credit, from locations around the world.

“We are extraordinarily excited about this new partnership because QPR is the recognized national model for suicide prevention work,” said Michael Frumkin, dean of the EWU School of Social Work and Human Services. “The content is high quality and extremely important for anyone in human services, education and other professions to understand because they will and do come into contact with people who have thought about or attempted suicide. By offering these courses, we hope to significantly improve the ability of human service professionals to provide services to these individuals.”

National reports recently issued by the U.S. Surgeon General: National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (2001), and the Institute of Medicine: Reducing Suicide, a National Imperative (2002), identify suicide as a major public health problem. Both reports note that most in the helping professions are poorly trained in the detection, assessment and management of potentially suicidal individuals.

The Surgeon General’s report calls for an increase in the proportion of clinical social workers, nurses, substance abuse treatment providers, law enforcement professionals, lawyers, pastoral, family and mental health counselors and psychologists and others in the helping professions to secure training in the assessment and management of suicide risk, and the identification and promotion of protective factors.

According to the American Association of Suicidology, every 18 minutes another American dies by suicide. Every day, approximately 80 Americans take their own lives and another 1,500 attempt suicide. Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S. and is the most preventable.

The on-line courses are designed for students and a wide variety of professionals, based on their role in suicide prevention and management:

• QPR© Suicide Triage Training – a one-credit course for first responders and professionals who assess and refer potentially suicidal persons, including teachers, school counselors, clergy, hospice workers, corrections personnel, residential staff, etc.
• QPRT© Suicide Risk Assessment Training – a one-credit course for professionals who evaluate and treat potentially suicidal persons, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, health care providers, therapists and substance abuse treatment providers.