The QPR for Sports Coaches and staff is intended to help you prevent suicide not just among athletes, but among employees, colleagues, co-workers, friends and family members.
QPR training is a universal intervention for persons experiencing a potentially life-threatening mental health emergency and, like CPR, can be carried out by anyone trained in its use.
Sports coaches consider a wide range of issues when preparing athletes; such as physical fitness, speed, stamina, strength and conditioning, flexibility, coordination, hydration and nutrition to name but a few. Perhaps consideration also needs to be given to mental health and well-being of athletes when preparing them to perform under stressful circumstances.
As a person working with athletes, you may be the one significant person in their lives who spends more time with them than any other. By knowing your athlete you may also be the one person in whom they may confide in when in trouble or experiencing mental health difficulties. Therefore you may be in a position to detect, screen, identify and refer at risk sports people to appropriate qualified professionals for support and treatment.
An investigation of the impact of a coach the coach project with Australian rural football club leaders as mental health advocates, found that following training in mental health first aid that 50% of club leaders who did the training showed increased capacity to recognise mental health difficulties in others and 66% said they had greater confidence in responding to others. They reported the training built on existing skills and fulfilled their perceived social responsibilities and empowered them.
We believe that all coaches need to know as much about mental health and suicidal behaviors and how to intervene to reduce risk and enhance safety as is reasonably possible. To this end, the online program you are about to take is intended to train you in the knowledge and skills you will need to protect athletes from suicidal self-directed violence.
As many coaches have lost colleagues, student athletes, and even family members to suicide, this training program is also designed to help create a safer world not only in our sports club, team, workplace or community, but in our personal lives. Taught to well over two million people by the end of 2015, QPR training works as a universal intervention for all people in distress. Not everyone you may ask about suicidal thoughts will have them, but many people are still in crisis will need help and behavioral health evaluation, perhaps even treatment.
We know that coaches and their staff are in frequent contact with athletes who may at risk of suicide. Learning to recognize and respond to possible suicide warning signs, and how to facilitate a competent referral and follow-up is key to preventing suicide.
What this training program is not:
This training is not a substitute for a college degree in counseling or other mental health profession, nor can it provide the face-to-face supervised experience those in the helping professions are provided in the course of their professional career development. The program does not teach suicide risk assessment skills. Suicide risk assessment training is provided in other QPR Institute programs.
Upon completion, participants should be able to:
Disclaimer
Please note that our courses are not certified for Continuing Education (CE) credits. Online courses do not come with the supervision necessary to practise in real life situations. Participant accounts will remain active for one year from the date of purchase, allowing ample time to complete the course.
