INTEGRATING TRAUMA INFORMED CARE INTO SUICIDE RESPONSE (ITIC)
2024-08-26 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
INTEGRATING TRAUMA INFORMED CARE INTO SUICIDE RESPONSE (ITIC)
Suicide Prevention Training
The Integrating Trauma Informed Care into Suicide Response course will describe the role of trauma in both risk for suicide behaviors and in coping with suicide loss. It is a one-hour virtual training primarily designed for those who work with people at risk for suicide, such as health care providers and social service professionals.
The curriculum covers the role of trauma in suicide risk, the SAMHSA principles of trauma informed care, as well as specific trauma informed strategies to utilize with survivors of suicide.
Trainings are open to anyone and will be delivered virtually, via Zoom.
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention
Call: 878-208-8186
Email: pag109@pitt.edu
SIGN-UP TODAY!
https://tinyurl.com/4p6kamf7

Butler, PA Community Mental Health Summit
2024-09-10 08:00 - 17:00
SAVE THE DATE for the annual Butler VA Health Care System’s Mental Health Summit to be held on September 10. This year’s theme is “Stop the Stigma!” In-person attendance will be limited, but there will be an option to participate virtually. The event will be held at the Abie Abraham VA Health Care Center, Auditorium, located at 353 North Duffy Road, Butler, PA 16001. Please call 878-271-6172 to register or for more information.

QPR Training
2024-09-10 11:00 - 13:00
QPR is a two-hour educational program designed to teach professionals as well as lay “gatekeepers” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. A gatekeeper is someone in a position to recognize a crisis and warning signs that someone may be at risk of suicide.
Pennsylvania suicide rates, especially in rural counties, are higher than the national average. QPR is a two-hour educational program designed to teach professionals as well as lay “gatekeepers” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. A gatekeeper is an individual who can recognize a crisis and the warning signs of someone possibly contemplating suicide. Anyone can become a gatekeeper: parents. friends, neighbors, teachers, athletic coaches, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, squad leaders, foremen, police officers, advisors, caseworkers, firefighters, etc. Gatekeepers come from all walks of life and do not require any prior training or education.
You can access the registration online. Please contact us if you experience challenges with registration.
We look forward to meeting you at an upcoming training session!
QPR Training Sessions
• Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 11 :00 AM-1:00 PM
• Monday, September 16, 2024, 12:00-2:00 PM

Tribal-VHA Partnerships in Suicide Prevention Toolkit
2024-09-11 14:00 - 16:00
September 11, 2024 • 2:00pm ET

LECTURE TOPIC
Cultural Considerations Applied in Community: Tribal-VHA Partnerships in Suicide Prevention Toolkit
Register online
Native American Veterans have served in the United States military at a higher level per capita than any other race group. They also have the highest rate of suicide, and those rates continue to rise. While suicide prevention is often focused on clinical intervention in a moment of crisis, suicide prevention is also about community. And for Native Americans, community connection is critical.

VA’s S.A.V.E.(Signs of suicidal thinking, Ask questions, Validate the experience, Encourage and Expediate treatment) training brings the community into Veteran suicide prevention.
Tribal communities have time-honored approaches and practices grounded in culture, tradition, and Indigenous knowledge that can help prevent suicide.

The Tribal-VHA Partnerships in Suicide Prevention Toolkit provides guidance for interweaving these different but also often complementary approaches to suicide prevention. The Toolkit includes strategies and step-by-step guides for building partnerships and re-envisioning VA suicide prevention approaches with Tribal communities.
Following this live lecture, participants will be able to:

Describe the general characteristics of Native Veterans and the communities where they live.
Identify critical components of VA facility/team readiness for Tribal partnerships.
Describe key elements of the four steps in creating a plan for initiating or strengthening a Tribal community partnership.
Identify the critical elements of the VA S.A.V.E. training to adapt into a S.A.V.E. Conversation culturally appropriate for a Tribal community.
Assess the differences between implementing a VA S.A.V.E. training and an adapted S.A.V.E. conversation.

PRESENTER INFORMATION
Carol E. Kaufman, PhD.

Carol E. Kaufman, PhD. is a population scientist with the Veteran Rural Health Resource Center, Salt Late City (VA Office of Rural Health) and a professor at the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. With 25 years of experience in research and public health practice with Tribal communities, she is a social demographer with a strong interest in the cultural and community context of mental health and well-being, health services, and suicide prevention. A significant part of Dr. Kaufman’s work centers on Native American Veterans’ issues, efforts she has grounded within a strong community-engaged framework, working closely with Tribal communities to enhance partnership and collaboration in all aspects of her work.

Butler County, PA QPR Training Sessions
2024-09-13 09:00 - 15:00
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
The Butler County Suicide Coalition is holding an event each week in September to remember those we have lost while raising awareness and sharing prevention resources.
September 13: QPR Suicide Prevention Trainings. Learn how to save a life. Trainings are at BCHS at 9am and 1pm.
For more info or to register to attend either class session, contact Amy Cirelli at 724-284-5114.

QPR + CALM Training
2024-09-16 12:00 - 14:00
QPR is a two-hour educational program designed to teach professionals as well as lay “gatekeepers” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. A gatekeeper is someone in a position to recognize a crisis and warning signs that someone may be at risk of suicide.
This date also offers a 1-hour Counseling on Access to Lethal Means Training (CALM) directly after the QPR sessions. You can opt-in to one or both trainings.
Pennsylvania suicide rates, especially in rural counties, are higher than the national average. QPR is a two-hour educational program designed to teach professionals as well as lay “gatekeepers” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. A gatekeeper is an individual who can recognize a crisis and the warning signs of someone possibly contemplating suicide. Anyone can become a gatekeeper: parents. friends, neighbors, teachers, athletic coaches, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, squad leaders, foremen, police officers, advisors, caseworkers, firefighters, etc. Gatekeepers come from all walks of life and do not require any prior training or education.
You can access the registration online. Please contact us if you experience challenges with registration.
We look forward to meeting you at an upcoming training session!
QPR Training Sessions
• Monday, September 16, 2024, 12:00-2:00 PM

Cognitive Behavioral Nightmare Therapies and PTSD
2024-09-18 14:00 - 15:00
Wednesday, September 18 at 2:00pm ET
The prevalence of nightmare disorder in the general population is 5%. Nightmares are typically characterized as idiopathic (i.e., from an unknown cause) or trauma-related (i.e., beginning or changing in frequency, severity, or content after a traumatic event). Nightmares are reported by 30% of trauma-exposed civilians, 50% of trauma-exposed veterans, and 30-40% of active duty military personnel and members of the National Guard. Among individuals diagnosed with PTSD, nightmare rates are higher and are reported by 57% of civilians with PTSD and 50-70% of active duty service members with PTSD. A variety of cognitive behavioral interventions show promise for the treatment of nightmares and also improve insomnia, PTSD, and depression. There is a wide range of names for the various treatments tested in randomized controlled trials, which creates challenges in comparing treatment efficacy by protocol in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Furthermore, there are not enough providers trained in CBT-N. This presentation will bridge the gap by summarizing data regarding the definition and prevalence of nightmares, providing an overview of CBT-N protocols, describing research of the efficacy of CBT-N in PTSD, and describing a newly developed, DoD funded, web-based provider training for CBT-N.
View event listing
Register online

About the Presenter

KRISTI PRUIKSMA, PhD, DBSM is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The University
of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Diplomat for Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Her work focuses on clinical research and supporting dissemination of evidence-based treatments for sleep disorders and PTSD with a focus on active duty military personnel in affiliation with the STRONG STAR Consortium. She has published more than 50 empirically- reviewed articles and is currently the PI of a DoD funded project to build and test a web-based provider training for CBT for nightmares and a DoD funded project comparing CBT-I and BBT-I in active duty service members with postconcussive symptoms following Mild TBI.

Timely and Adaptive Strategies to Optimize Suicide Prevention Interventions
2024-09-19 13:00 - 15:00
Date/Time: September 19, 2024, 1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Virtual
Learn more and register online
Therapeutic interventions are now being applied in ways that may enhance timely and tailored strategies to address suicide risk. This approach requires ready access to end-user data that informs proactive intervention strategies. This webinar from the National Institute of Mental Health will consider 1) which data sources are best equipped to inform intervention strategies, 2) which intervention aspects should involve tailoring strategies vs. simpler approaches that may be just as effective, and 3) how such approaches can be incorporated into providers’ workflows within a health care setting.
This webinar brings together experts in areas that include passive and active data collection methods, the measurement of social contexts related to suicide risk, and the methodological aspects of Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAI). The goal is to provide insights into developing and testing JITAIs for suicide prevention and to offer guidance on incorporating these adaptive interventions into healthcare systems.

8th Annual Suicide Prevention Conference
2024-09-25 08:00 - 17:00
8th Annual
Suicide Prevention Conference
Wednesday, September 25th, 2024
Call for Proposals
This year’s conference will be held at the Ambassador Conference Center in Erie on Wednesday, 9/25/24. The annual conference typically draws around 200 participants from all over Erie County and beyond and hosts breakout sessions focusing on the area of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
This year’s theme is: Forging Ahead with Hope: Innovation in Prevention
The conference planning committee requests that all proposals for breakout sessions meet one of the following conference goals:
1). Building upon existing partnerships and expanding the reach of suicide prevention in our community.
2). Integration of suicide prevention into conversations and training initiatives in work, school, and other community settings.
3). Advancements in suicide prevention screening and assessment.
4). Improvement of access to emergency mental health care including crisis and suicide intervention in all communities.
5). Usage of research and data for improvement of outcomes relating to suicide prevention and intervention.
6). Development and implementation of resilience and hope in suicide prevention and intervention.
Breakout sessions will be 75-90 minutes in duration and are training opportunities in which the presenter(s) lead participants through lecture, exercises and/or skill development in a given domain as the material relates to one of the above stated conference goals.
· You may submit more than one proposal but each proposal must be a complete and separate submission.
· The deadline for proposals is 8/1/2024.
· Proposals will be reviewed for completeness and stated criteria, connection and relevance to the audience and conference goals, and qualifications of the presenter(s).
· You will be notified on or before August 15th, 2024 whether your proposal has been accepted
Step 1: Complete the online proposal form that requests the following information here: https://lnkd.in/eEHx5NHH (https://lnkd.in/eEHx5NHH)

What Happens to Veterans Who Leave the Military Under Other Than Honorable Conditions?
2024-09-26 16:00 - 17:00
The way a veteran’s service is characterized through the formal military discharge process can significantly impact their life. Most are discharged as “honorable,” which entitles them to veterans benefits and services due to their satisfactory service to the country.
Yet in the past two decades, those leaving service with an “other than honorable” (OTH) designation is rising. These veterans have limited to no access to veterans benefits in the years following their service. Many who receive OTH issuances are from minority groups. Some sustain service-related injuries and are prone to mental health challenges and substance use problems. They are also at increased risk of homelessness and suicide.
A panel of experts will discuss what we know about veterans who leave military service under OTH conditions and offer recommendations to improve the process of discharge characterization. They will discuss what this type of discharge means for veterans and their families, why and in what context veterans leave the military with an OTH discharge, and considerations for policy changes that would expand benefits for certain veterans in this group.
This webinar is part of a series of events organized by the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute to explore pressing policy challenges affecting veterans, their families, and their communities.
Register Online

Date:
September 26, 2024

Time:
4–5 p.m. ET
1–2 p.m. PT

DBT for Justice-Involved Veterans
2024-10-09 14:00 - 15:00
Veterans experiencing criminal-legal difficulties are at significantly elevated risk for suicide (~150 per 100,000) compared to their non-legally involved peers (~40 per 100,000). Addressing criminal-legal involvement is therefore key to effective Veteran suicide prevention. Through this live virtual, knowledge-based webinar, attendees will learn about a recently developed psychotherapy program specifically designed to decrease risk of future criminal-legal involvement and suicide risk.
Following this live lecture, participants will be able to:

Discuss suicide risk in Veterans experiencing criminal-legal involvement compared to Veterans not experiencing such involvement.
Describe assessment strategies to identify Veterans experiencing criminal-legal involvement.
Employ effective intervention strategies to mitigate the risk of criminal-legal involvement and suicide.

Register online

Suicide Prevention and SUD
2024-10-16 13:00 - 14:00
Substance misuse is the second most frequent risk factor for suicide.
The SP/SUD course is about how to recognize the warning signs of SUD and suicide, the intersection of SUD and suicide, and how stigma can affect help seekers and help givers. It is a one-hour virtual training designed for mental health professionals, health care providers, and social service professionals.
The SP/SUD curriculum covers the facts, warning signs, protective factors, and stigma associated with SUD and suicide, as well as proactive care strategies to consider. Trainings are open to anyone and will be delivered virtually, via Zoom.
SP/SUD Trainings (virtual):
• Wednesday, October 16, 2024 1:00-2:00 PM
• Tuesday, November 19, 2024 1:00 -2:00 PM
Free CEUs will be provided in EMS/LSW/LCSW/LPC/LMFT from UPMC.

Treating PTSD in Primary Care
2024-10-16 14:00 - 16:00
Treating PTSD in Primary Care
PTSD commonly occurs among primary care patients in both Veterans Affairs and community settings. Research demonstrates that most primary care patients with PTSD do not receive adequate PTSD treatment. Evidence-based screenings and treatments for PTSD that are appropriate for the primary care setting are now available. This presentation will detail gold standard screening methods and describe several brief treatments for PTSD, including their evidence base and current implementations status. Strategies for shared decision making on when to treat in primary care and when to referral to specialty mental health settings will also be discussed.

Kyle Possemato, PhD
Wednesday, October 16 at 2:00pm ET
Register to attend

Moral Injury in Service Members
2024-10-17 10:00 - 13:30
The Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) is offering a three and a half-hour workshop on Moral Injury in Service Members. The workshop will be held online via Zoom, 17 October 2024, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern. Space in this event is limited and registration will close when capacity is reached, even if this is before the final registration deadline.
Registration for the course is $25.
Moral injury may develop from exposure to events (acts of commission or omission) that transgress an individual’s deeply held values and beliefs, leading to negative psychological, spiritual, and social consequences. Morally injurious events can erode core beliefs about what is right and wrong in oneself or others—about goodness, trustworthiness, and benevolence. While it is an ancient concept that battlefield transgressions may inflict emotional harm on the warfighter, there has been growing interest in moral injury in the mental health field and other circles. Some experts suggest that the extended operations in Iraq and Afghanistan may have increased service members’ risk for developing moral injury, given the ambiguous nature of the operations, including unconventional guerrilla warfare and changing rules of engagement. More recently, researchers have reported on moral injury experienced by first responders and health care providers from COVID-19-related moral and ethical stressors.
This training will explore where morality comes from, define moral injury and describe how it develops, identify incidents that may contribute to it, and examine various assessment and treatment methods. The focus will be on moral injury in the military population, while recognizing that it also occurs in the civilian population. The presenter will encourage participants to consider challenges they face in identifying and treating moral injury, including how to create a nonjudgmental, safe space for clients to talk about it, and how to distinguish moral injury from common co-occurring problems such as PTSD. Military cases will be introduced to demonstrate approaches for assessing and addressing moral injury. This training is aimed at behavioral health providers and trainees working with service members and veterans as well as clinicians interested in trauma (Litz et al., 2022; Richardson et al., 2020; Rozek & Bryan, 2021).
Learning objectives:

Distinguish moral injury from morally injurious events and common co-occurring problems
Use appropriate assessment tools and measures to evaluate clients for moral injury
Apply effective strategies for the treatment of moral injury

QPR – Suicide Prevention
2024-10-22 10:00 - 12:00
QPR – Suicide Prevention
October 22, 2024 | 10:00AM–noon | Approved for 2 CE: UPITT | Session is Limited to 35 attendees

White Deer Run proudly offers free and accredited learning opportunities for licensed clinicians who are providing behavioral healthcare services.

New sessions are scheduled each month to support continued learning. These sessions are facilitated by local industry experts from both within and outside of the White Deer Run network.
Register online

QPR Training
2024-10-28 11:00 - 13:00
QPR is a two-hour educational program designed to teach professionals as well as lay “gatekeepers” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. A gatekeeper is someone in a position to recognize a crisis and warning signs that someone may be at risk of suicide.
This date also offers a 1-hour Counseling on Access to Lethal Means Training (CALM) directly after the QPR sessions. You can opt-in to one or both trainings.
Pennsylvania suicide rates, especially in rural counties, are higher than the national average. QPR is a two-hour educational program designed to teach professionals as well as lay “gatekeepers” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. A gatekeeper is an individual who can recognize a crisis and the warning signs of someone possibly contemplating suicide. Anyone can become a gatekeeper: parents. friends, neighbors, teachers, athletic coaches, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, squad leaders, foremen, police officers, advisors, caseworkers, firefighters, etc. Gatekeepers come from all walks of life and do not require any prior training or education.
You can access the registration online. Please contact us if you experience challenges with registration.
We look forward to meeting you at an upcoming training session!
QPR Training Sessions
Monday, October 28, 2024 11:00 AM -1:00 PM

Counseling on Access to Lethal Means Training (CALM)
2024-11-08 12:00 - 13:00
Virtual :: 1-hour
This activity is approved for the following credit: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ANCC, ASWB, and AAPA Category 1 CME.
Audience: Mental health professionals, health care providers, social service professionals, and general public community members
Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies. The CALM course focuses on how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. It is primarily designed for mental health professionals, but others who work with people at risk for suicide—such as health care providers and social service professionals—would also benefit. The curriculum covers who needs lethal means counseling and how to collaborate with individuals at risk and their families to create safer environments by reducing access to lethal means.
Learning Objectives:

Identify who needs lethal means counseling.
Collaborate with individuals at risk and their families to reduce access to lethal methods.

Register here
For questions related to the training or registration, contact us at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention.

Suicide Prevention and SUDs
2024-11-19 13:00 - 14:00
Substance misuse is the second most frequent risk factor for suicide.
The SP/SUD course is about how to recognize the warning signs of SUD and suicide, the intersection of SUD and suicide, and how stigma can affect help seekers and help givers. It is a one-hour virtual training designed for mental health professionals, health care providers, and social service professionals.
The SP/SUD curriculum covers the facts, warning signs, protective factors, and stigma associated with SUD and suicide, as well as proactive care strategies to consider. Trainings are open to anyone and will be delivered virtually, via Zoom.
SP/SUD Trainings (virtual):
• Tuesday, November 19, 2024 1:00 -2:00 PM
Free CEUs will be provided in EMS/LSW/LCSW/LPC/LMFT from UPMC.

Counseling on Access to Lethal Means Training (CALM)
2025-01-07 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-02-27 15:00 - 16:00
Virtual :: 1-hour :: Free CEUs for EMS, LSW, LCSW, LPC, LMFT (provided by UPMC)
Mental health professionals, health care providers, social service professionals, and general public community members
A virtual training on reducing access to lethal means for individuals at risk of suicide.
Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies. The CALM course focuses on how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. It is primarily designed for mental health professionals, but others who work with people at risk for suicide—such as health care providers and social service professionals—would also benefit. The curriculum covers who needs lethal means counseling and how to collaborate with individuals at risk and their families to create safer environments by reducing access to lethal means.
Learning Objectives:

Identify who needs lethal means counseling.
Collaborate with individuals at risk and their families to reduce access to lethal methods.

Register here
For questions related to the training or registration, contact us at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention.

Suicide Prevention: Links to Substance Use Disorder Care (SUD)
2025-01-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-02-14 12:00 - 13:00
Virtual :: 1-hour :: Free CEUs for EMS, LSW, LCSW, LPC, LMFT (provided by UPMC)
Mental health professionals, health care providers, social service professionals, and general public community members
A virtual training on reducing access to lethal means for individuals at risk of suicide who have substance use concerns.
Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies. The SP/SUD course focuses on how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. It is primarily designed for mental health professionals, but others who work with people at risk for suicide—such as health care providers and social service professionals—would also benefit. The curriculum covers who needs lethal means counseling and how to collaborate with individuals at risk and their families to create safer environments by reducing access to lethal means.
Learning Objectives:

Identify who needs lethal means counseling.
Understand the intersection of substance use disorder and suicide risk.
Collaborate with individuals at risk and their families to reduce access to lethal methods.

Register here
For questions related to the training or registration, contact us at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention.

Integrating Trauma Informed Care into Suicide Response (ITIC)
2025-01-14 12:00 - 13:00
The Integrating Trauma Informed Care into Suicide Response course will describe the role of trauma in both risk for suicide behaviors and in coping with suicide loss. It is a one-hour virtual training primarily designed for those who work with people at risk for suicide, such as health care providers and social service professionals.
The curriculum covers the role of trauma in suicide risk, the SAMHSA principles of trauma informed care, as well as specific trauma informed strategies to utilize with survivors of suicide.
Trainings are open to anyone and will be delivered virtually, via Zoom.
ITIC Training (virtual):
• Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 12:00-1:00 PM
Free CEUs will be provided in EMS/LSW/LCSW/LPC/LMFT from UPMC.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
2025-01-21 10:00 - 12:00
Virtual :: 2-hour :: Free CEUs for EMS, LSW, LCSW, LPC, LMFT (provided by UPMC)
Mental health professionals, health care providers, social service professionals, and general public community members
A virtual training on recognizing the warning signs of a suicide crisis and responding effectively.
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) is a two-hour educational program designed to train people as “gatekeepers” to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and respond appropriately. A gatekeeper is someone who is in a position to recognize a crisis and identify when someone may be at risk of suicide. Gatekeepers can be parents, friends, teachers, coaches, ministers, doctors, nurses, supervisors, police officers, and more. The training provides practical steps to question someone about their intent, persuade them to seek help, and refer them to appropriate resources.
Note: Many QPR training sessions are followed by an optional, 1-hour Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) training directly after the QPR session. You are encouraged to attend both trainings, but can opt for one or the other independently. Check the registration link below for availability.
Learning Objectives:

Recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis.
Effectively question someone about their desire or intent to die by suicide.
Persuade individuals to seek help and refer them to appropriate resources.

Register here
For questions related to the training or registration, contact us at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention.

Integrating Trauma Informed Care into Suicide Response (ITIC)
2025-02-14 13:00 - 14:00
Virtual :: 1-hour :: Free CEUs for EMS, LSW, LCSW, LPC, LMFT (provided by UPMC)
Health care providers, social service professionals, and general public community members
A virtual training on understanding the role of trauma in suicide risk and supporting survivors of suicide loss.
The Integrating Trauma Informed Care into Suicide Response course describes the role of trauma in both risk for suicidal behaviors and in coping with suicide loss. The curriculum covers the SAMHSA principles of trauma-informed care and provides specific trauma-informed strategies to use with individuals at risk for suicide and survivors of suicide loss. This training is primarily designed for those who work with people at risk for suicide, such as health care providers and social service professionals.
Learning Objectives:

Understand the role of trauma in suicide risk.
Learn the SAMHSA principles of trauma-informed care.
Apply trauma-informed strategies when supporting survivors of suicide loss.

Register here
For questions related to the training or registration, contact us at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
2025-02-27 13:00 - 15:00
Virtual :: 2-hour
This activity is approved for the following credit: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ANCC, ASWB, and AAPA Category 1 CME.
Audience: Mental health professionals, health care providers, social service professionals, and general public community members
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) is a two-hour educational program designed to train people as “gatekeepers” to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and respond appropriately. A gatekeeper is someone who is in a position to recognize a crisis and identify when someone may be at risk of suicide. Gatekeepers can be parents, friends, teachers, coaches, ministers, doctors, nurses, supervisors, police officers, and more. The training provides practical steps to question someone about their intent, persuade them to seek help, and refer them to appropriate resources.
Note: Many QPR training sessions are followed by an optional, 1-hour Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) training directly after the QPR session. You are encouraged to attend both trainings, but can opt for one or the other independently. Check the registration link below for availability.
Learning Objectives:

Recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis.
Effectively question someone about their desire or intent to die by suicide.
Persuade individuals to seek help and refer them to appropriate resources.

Register here
For questions related to the training or registration, contact us at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention.

Suicide Prevention: Links to Substance Use Disorder Care (SUD)
2025-03-11 09:00 - 10:00
2 hours
This activity is approved for the following credit: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ANCC, ASWB, and AAPA Category 1 CME.
Audience
This training is appropriate for mental health professionals, health care providers, social service professionals, and general community members.
Presented by Pitt PERU and UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor.
Description
This training empowers you to become an effective “gatekeeper”—someone who can recognize when an individual may be at risk and take immediate, appropriate action. The program centers on three key interventions:

Question: Initiate a compassionate conversation to explore the individual’s thoughts and feelings about suicide.
Persuade: Encourage the person to seek and accept professional help.
Refer: Connect the individual with the proper resources and support services.

By becoming a gatekeeper, you help bridge the gap between crisis and care. Given that suicide rates—especially in rural counties of Pennsylvania—exceed national averages, every community member plays a critical role in prevention. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, healthcare provider, or community leader, QPR provides you with the knowledge and tools to make a difference.
Participants will gain a clear understanding of suicide prevention techniques, be able to identify at-risk individuals, and learn how to effectively intervene and refer individuals to appropriate resources.
Learning Objectives

Recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis
Understand the connection between suicide and substance use disorders
Learn effective gatekeeper interventions (including questioning intent, persuading help-seeking, and referring to appropriate resources)
Empower individuals to support community suicide prevention initiatives.

Click here to register
Questions? Contact Chris at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
2025-03-20 09:00 - 11:00

Counseling on Access to Lethal Means Training (CALM)
2025-03-20 11:00 - 12:00
1 hour
This activity is approved for the following credit: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ANCC, ASWB, and AAPA Category 1 CME.
Audience
This training is appropriate for mental health professionals, health care providers, social service professionals, and general public community members.
Presented by Pitt PERU and UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor.
Description
Reducing access to lethal means (e.g., firearms and medications) is a proven strategy that can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies. The CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) course focuses on providing participants with the tools and knowledge to reduce access to lethal methods. Designed primarily for mental health professionals, this one‑hour virtual training is also beneficial for health care providers, social service professionals, and anyone working with individuals at risk for suicide. The curriculum covers how to identify those who may benefit from lethal means counseling and offers practical guidance on collaborating with individuals and their families to create safer environments.
Participants will gain practical strategies to reduce access to lethal means, improve their ability to identify at‑risk individuals, and learn how to collaborate with families and communities to enhance safety.
Learning Objectives

Identify who needs lethal means counseling
Collaborate with individuals at risk and their families to reduce access to lethal methods.

Click here to register
Questions? Contact Chris at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov

Integrating Trauma Informed Care into Suicide Response (ITIC)
2025-03-26 10:00 - 11:00
1 hour
This activity is approved for the following credit: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ANCC, ASWB, and AAPA Category 1 CME.
Audience
This training is appropriate for mental health professionals, health care providers, social service professionals, and general public community members.
Presented by Pitt PERU and UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor.
Description
The Integrating Trauma Informed Care into Suicide Response course describes the role of trauma in both risk for suicidal behaviors and in coping with suicide loss. The curriculum covers the SAMHSA principles of trauma-informed care and provides specific trauma-informed strategies to use with individuals at risk for suicide and survivors of suicide loss.
Participants will understand the role of trauma in suicide risk and coping with loss, be able to apply trauma-informed care principles, and use specific strategies to support survivors of suicide loss.
Learning Objectives

Understand the role of trauma in suicide risk
Learn the SAMHSA principles of trauma-informed care
Apply trauma-informed strategies when supporting survivors of suicide loss.

Click here to register
Questions? Contact Chris at 412-383-3926 or chirdon@pitt.edu
Funded by the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov
