"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss (The Lorax).

September marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. In a previous post, I shared the story about the suicide of a colleague. I also related the story of Chief Pat Kenny, who took time out of his day to provide me with peer support when I struggled with this incident (16 years had already passed since my friend's death). During that meeting, the Chief offered profound wisdom when he said, "Tim, the signs were there that your friend was going to die by suicide - we were just not trained to see it."

Today, I will offer you, my readers, several ideas/resources to help you become more aware of the signs I missed 25 years ago.

QPR Suicide Prevention Training

The QPR Institute offers the GateKeeper course in online and live training formats. QPR Suicide Prevention Training (Question. Persuade. Refer.).

Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis. The training covers:

• How to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone who may be suicidal

• How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide

• The common causes of suicidal behavior

• The warning signs of suicide

• How to get help for someone in crisis can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

https://qprinstitute.com/individual-training

Mental Health First Aid

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing offers the following Mental Health First Aid course programs:

·    Adult

·    Youth

·    Teen

·    At Work

·    Public Safety

·    Fire/EMS

·    Veterans

·    Older Adults

·    Rural

·    Higher Education

Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives you the skills to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis.

The course is offered in-person and a blended in-person and video conference version.

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

Peer Support

Numerous peer support organizations across the country serve various occupations. Doors to Wellbeing offers a search tool that lists the requirements by state for the peer certification requirements and process. Research your occupational specialty, educational institution, and civic/community organizations for volunteer opportunities and training as a peer support specialist.

https://copelandcenter.com/peer-specialists

Please add to this list either through the comments section of this post or on my social media pages.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns - don't hesitate to contact me through my email at mindbodybadgeyoga@gmail.com. I am here to serve and support you on your quest to rebuild your mind, body, and spirit one breath at a time.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988, press 1 if you are a veteran.

Until next time -

Namaste,

Tim