Students Certified to Teach QPR Trainings

Five Purdue students have become certified to offer QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training to their peers.

Students certified to administer QPR Gatekeeper trainings include Margaret Fischer, Lindsey Hoffman, Claire Kern, Elizabeth Lenart, and Alicia Stevance. These students were trained as part of the Boiler Wellness Ambassadors program established by Purdue Student Government in conjunction with the Office of the Dean of Students and the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life as part of Mental Health Action Week. Students received training from volunteers with Bauer Family Resources and Mental Health America – Wabash Valley Region.

Certified students will conduct Gatekeeper course trainings during the month of April and are available to teach additional sessions, including evenings and weekends. These students will present, discuss and role-play scenarios until participants in Gatekeeper trainings feel comfortable with the material. Individuals who complete the Gatekeeper course will learn to recognize the warning signs of suicide, how to offer hope and how to get help and save a life.

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer – three steps that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people training in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to questions, persuade and refer someone to help.

Students have already conducted Gatekeeper trainings with members of the Purdue Interfraternity Council. Departments or organizations interested in student trainings can complete the request for training form on the Office of the Dean of Students website or contact Zenephia Evans, associate dean of students for education and advocacy, via email.