Wellness Center Offers A Unique Training Program To Save Lives

“The number of people who kill themselves in this country every week is equivalent to a 747 going down with no survivors.”

Klinton Hobbs, assistant director and outreach coordinator for the Texas Tech Student Counseling Center, coordinates a monthly “Question, Prefer, and Refer” event at the counseling center to help train students and employees in suicide prevention.

Question, Prefer, and Refer — QPR for short — refers to asking someone if they are considering suicide, persuading the person to get the help needed, and then knowing where and how to refer the individual to other people who can help.

QPR does not create new skills; instead it builds on skills you currently have and use on a daily basis, Hobbs said.

Photo by Sarah Schmidt.

Training begins with talking about suicide in general and goes on to sort myths from facts about suicide and its prevention, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said the training also goes over warning signs and clues to be on the lookout for when questioning if someone is suicidal.

Lastly, the training breaks down the Q, P and R.

“The goal of that section is to really help people to realize that they can intervene with suicide,” Hobbs said, “to feel a little more confident.”

Many people struggle with confidence when approaching someone whom they are concerned about, counseling center case manager Bobbi Britton-Stroud said.

Britton-Stroud said people are often scared to ask if someone is considering suicide because they are afraid the person will become angry or embarrassed, but in her 20 years of counseling, she has experienced the opposite.

Photo by Sarah Schmidt.

“I’ve never had anyone get mad at me for asking them if they’re contemplating killing themselves,” Britton-Stroud said. “Many times they are relieved that you asked.”

Although the services offered at the counseling center are only available free of charge to students, faculty and staff members also have the opportunity to be trained in QPR.

For the past three years, Britton-Stroud said, all new full-time employees have been trained in QPR during their employee orientation.

Usually these full-time employees — like professors, hospitality staff, and housing staff — are at the front line when dealing with students, so it is beneficial for them to know how to deal with a student who comes to them for help, she said.

“If you’re not a trained professional in mental health, and even sometimes if you are, somebody starting to talk about their suicidal thoughts can be very uncomfortable, “ Britton-Stroud said, “so getting a better comfort level with being able to address it so you’re not sitting there freaking out, and you can actually be there for the person in a better way.”

At the end of the training course, the participant becomes a “gatekeeper,” armed with the skills to possibly save a life.

Photo by Sarah Schmidt.

Each participant also receives an official QPR booklet and card for quick reference.

QPR is offered at least once every month for one hour, and the training events are publicized on Tech’s email announcement system, TechAnnounce, Britton-Stroud said.

QPR training is open for any Tech faculty, staff and student. The goal is to get as many people as possible trained, so there are more people on campus who can look for warning signs in others and get them the help they need, Hobbs said.

“Suicide is really a taboo,” Hobbs said.

“We get uncomfortable. We feel awkward and it scares us, so no one is really talking about it, and that’s why QPR is important because it really breaks that barrier.”

About Sarah Schmidt

Sarah Schmidt is a senior journalism major and general business minor from San Antonio, Texas. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, watching her favorite shows, getting at least nine hours of sleep, and reading magazines. When she graduates, she hopes to move to New York to pursue a career in print and/or online journalism.