Capital Health Network

CHN has been working in partnership with ACT Health and the Black Dog Institute on the implementation of LifeSpan in the ACT. LifeSpan is an integrated suicide prevention approach that aims to connect and coordinate new and existing interventions and empower the community to better support people facing a suicide crisis.

As part of LifeSpan, all Canberrans are encouraged to take part in the “Question, Persuade, Refer” (QPR) suicide prevention training. This training was developed by the QPR Institute in partnership with the Black Dog Institute and is designed for audiences with no assumed knowledge of mental health or suicide prevention. The QPR training aims to provide the community with the skills and confidence to identify the warning signs of suicide, speak to people at risk of suicide about their thoughts and connect them with professional support. In the last year, QPR training was completed by 734 Canberrans.

Testimonials

“When (my daughter) initially confessed that she had suicidal thoughts, I was beside myself. We talked it through but I didn’t know what to ask and how to ask it or what to say. Initially I called Beyond Blue and the person I spoke to gave me some strategies and that did help. Then I saw the QPR advertised, I did the training and since have been able to approach discussions with her more confidently. She is on medication, is receiving counselling both at school and with Headspace,” said QPR Participant.