Suicide prevention may sound like an undertaking for professional counselors only, but the right training can help any empathetic person save a life.
Through the Half a Sorrow Foundation, many in the Upstate and beyond are being trained to do just that.
According to Executive Director Dennis Gillan, the foundation’s programs last anywhere from one hour to two days, depending on the goal of the organization or company it’s assisting.
Having lost two brothers to suicide, Gillan’s personal experiences inspired him to become educated and help others do the same. He is not a therapist, but he has undergone extensive training to oversee programs designed to instruct others on how to interact with people in need of support.
“When someone actually opens up, sometimes the person listening can freeze up. That’s where training comes in,” he says.
Gillan carefully evaluates curriculum before sharing it.
“We offer one called QPR (question, persuade, refer), a 90-minute training, which, like the promotional material says, teaches ‘three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide,’” he says.
Another of his favorites is SoulShop — a faith-based training method that equips community leaders to minister to those impacted by suicide.
In addition to prevention and intervention, Gillan also helps people who have lost someone. “Post-vention,” as such outreach is known, is an unfortunate but crucial part of his role, which sometimes motivates others to get trained.
“Post-vention in a sense becomes prevention,” he says.
Visit halfasorrow.org today to learn more about training opportunities, make a donation or book a speaker.
