QPR for Schools

Thank you for your interest in preventing suicide.

The challenge for middle and high schools is not if they should deal with suicidal youth, but how.

Many school-based youth suicide prevention programs exist, and QPR is just one.  We invite you to explore the many options available and to study the research in support of these programs.

How QPR is different

QPR is different from some school-based suicide prevention programs because our focus is not just on students who may attempt or die by suicide, but also on staff and family members of staff and students who may become suicidal.

Our interest is in enhancing and protecting the health and safety of all school students, employees, volunteers, and their families and we provide a somewhat different perspective in how we believe suicide can be prevented.

QPR was designed to detect suicide risk, but is applicable for a variety of problems experienced by youth, including bullying, eating disorders, substance abuse, planned violence toward others and many others.

A systems approach to student and staff safety

The QPR Suicide Risk Reduction Program for Schools uses the “Chain of Survival” concept derived from CPR for its Gatekeeper training, as well as an organizational approach to student and staff safety with advanced training for counselors and other healthcare providers.

Our systems approach to suicide prevention is modeled on the research and recommendations of Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe, and their studies of “high reliability organizations” or HROs. 

When it comes to student safety, we believe schools can become an HRO.

Weick and Sutcliffe’s studies of nuclear power plants, air traffic controllers, aircraft carriers, hospitals and other high-risk work environments provide essential lessons and tools to help organizations address and improve safety practices, policies and protocols.

Student or staff suicide is a severe, irreversible, extremely harmful outcome. 

It is also avoidable.

If your school is interested in exploring how to move from the aftermath of a recent student or staff suicide to consideration of adopting our suicide risk reduction training programs for schools, we strongly encourage you to first read Managing the Unexpected: Resilient Performance in an Age of Uncertainty by Weick and Sutcliffe (John Wiley & Sons, 2007) to see how your school might become an HRO.

We also invite you to view a free video presentation on youth suicide and school-based programs by Dr. Paul Quinnett which, at the end, describes the HRO concept and how it applies to schools.

See at: http://www.adph.org/ALPHTN/index.asp?id=1636

Then, after a desk audit of your school’s current operational and training approach to suicide prevention, we would be happy to explore how we might help you initiate and sustain our “best practices” Gatekeeper training and advanced counselor and nurse training approaches to suicide risk reduction practices for schools.

All our basic and advanced training programs, to create high reliability organizations to prevent suicide, are deliverable both in the classroom setting by expert trainers, training-of-trainers, online and/or in a blended format.

Thank you for your time.

Staff and faculty, QPR Institute