3 Steps to Saving Lives: Question, Persuade, and Refer

Hannah Brewer

Feb 17, 2023

QPR is an emergency mental health intervention created in 1995, by Dr. Paul Quinnett, Clinical Psychologist. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide; the intent is also to identify and interrupt the crisis and direct that person to the proper care and resources.

The mission of QPR is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative,

practical, and proven suicide prevention gatekeeper training that can be completed in

approximately 1 hour.

The QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training will teach you:

How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be suicidal
How to recognize the warning signs of suicide.
How to actively ask and respond to a person in crisis.
Where to refer someone for the appropriate resources

Why is QPR training important?

QPR is an evidence-based, suicide prevention training program, designed to train individuals in recognizing the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer the at-risk individual to help and resources. This training can save lives!

According to the QPR Institute, “The signs of crisis are all around us. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know.”

All providers and staff interested in learning the Question, Persuade, Refer techniques for

preventing suicide, are invited to take the training.

To find the training:

Go to qprtraining.com/setup
Enter the organization code UK, Select "Create Training Account"
Complete and submit the registration form using your uky.edu email address
Log in to begin the training at www.qprtraining.com
In the OCCUPATION field indicate EMPLOYEE, in the ORGANIZATION field indicate your DEPARTMENT

UK HealthCare began offering this free self-paced online training in June of 2022 as part of the Healthy Kentucky Initiative under the fifth objective of our 2025 Strategic plan. The training is now being offered to any UK campus and UK HealthCare employee.

The Behavioral Health Wellness Environments for Living and Learning (BH WELL) research team exists to promote behavioral health and wellness among individuals facing behavioral health challenges. Click here for more information about BH WELL. Follow us on social media.