G.A.P. Academy – QPR Suicide Prevention
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps 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 trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying “Yes” to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor.
QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention is a 1-2 hour educational program designed to teach lay and professional “gatekeepers” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. Gatekeepers can include anyone who is strategically positioned to recognize and refer someone at risk of suicide (e.g., parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, caseworkers, police officers). The process follows three steps: (1) Question the individual’s desire or intent regarding suicide, (2) Persuade the person to seek and accept help, and (3) Refer the person to appropriate resources.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Recognize the warning signs of suicide
- Know how to offer hope
- Know how to get help and save a life
Trainer: James Syphax, OCPS, ICPS
James (he/him) serves Prevention Action Alliance as the community prevention manager for our Community Based Services team. In his role, James manages the Statewide Prevention Coalition Association (SPCA), the Ohio Center for Coalition Excellence (OCCE), Know! prevention tips, problem gambling prevention initiatives and the G.A.P. Network where impacted families learn to turn grief into advocacy for prevention.
In addition to his programmatic roles, James also serves as the lead trainer for the Matthew B. Schoonover Education Center at PAA where he trains on everything from basic prevention to the ins and outs of coalition development. He has also presented across the country on cryptocurrency and the impact it has as an emerging issue in the problem gambling field.
Prior to joining PAA, James spent several years serving as both a school-based prevention service provider and community coalition coordinator. He also held a county commissioner appointment as a member of the Brown County Mental Health and Addiction Services Board.
James is an Ohio certified prevention specialist and certified QPR instructor and currently serves as a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling’s (NCPG) prevention committee and their emerging trends sub-committee, Additionally, he is a member of the Ohio Problem Gambling Advisory Board and serves as co-chair of their prevention committee.
