by Nick Hanzel-Snyder
SOS Signs of Suicide is a mission-driven program. Our trainings prepare students from high school through college and the adults who support them to recognize the warning signs of suicide and depression and how to help themselves or their peers. Ultimately, what’s most important to our team is making this life-saving information available to as many people as possible. Whether it’s our SOS trainings or another suicide prevention program like QPR Institute Ask questions, convince, contact the gatekeeper training (QPR) – our goal is to save lives. In fact, SOS and QPR are perfect complements to each other. Especially for our colleges and institutes Suicide SOS signs for senior students and faculty/staff programs and QPR can work in tandem to help create a more informed and safe campus community.
Ideas for using SOS and QPR together
- QPR is intended for university faculty and staff, not their student population. To expand suicide education throughout your community, SOS Signs of Suicide for Students Higher Edition offers a suicide prevention course designed specifically for college students where they hear real stories about students who have struggled and how they got help. Bringing both QPR and SOS together could be a great way to create a comprehensive campus-wide suicide prevention initiative.
- While QPR is more focused on general knowledge, SOS for Higher Ed is designed specifically for college communities. Together, the two programs cover a broader base that equips faculty, staff, and students with a broad skill set that can be used effectively across campus and in their personal lives.
- When suicide prevention training is mandatory, it can be frustrating to retake the same course year after year. Allowing faculty and staff to rotate training courses each year is a good way to retain knowledge while keeping things fresh.
- Because people engage with learning content in all kinds of different ways, offering different ways to learn about suicide prevention is a great strategy. For example, the in-person QPR and the online, self-directed SOS for Higher Ed offer alternative learning pathways that allow faculty and staff to take whichever is most appropriate.
- Although both cover the topic of suicide prevention, QPR and SOS differ in style and tone. The evidence-based QPR details suicide statistics and highlights a list of life events and behaviors that may indicate suicide. SOS for Higher Ed, on the other hand, is highly interactive, using real-life stories from faculty, staff, and students to illustrate the warning signs of suicide and college-based scenarios that allow students to practice new skills.
If your college or university already uses QPR, we recommend considering SOS for Higher Ed as additional training. Like SOS, QPR is one evidence-based A study with a proven track record of spreading knowledge and awareness about suicide risk – keep using it! But by adding SOS for Higher Ed to your suicide prevention education plan, you’ll:
- Add specific higher education examples and guidelines to your curriculum;
- Provide multiple teaching methods that allow for different engagement styles;
- Provide practical scenarios on how to talk about suicide;
- Reach out to students as well as faculty and staff with this life-saving information; and
- Prepare your campus with resources and actionable steps to support each other.
