We know the past 13 months have been challenging for our students, especially when it comes to your mental health. The pandemic has exacerbated mental health struggles among young adults, with 1 in 4 people aged 18-24 contemplating suicide in 2020 as compared to 1 in 10 in 2018. This is a tragic statistic that SUNY is taking seriously and working to address.
It is more critical than ever to provide mental health supports to our students — and you can be part of the solution.
Friends are often the first to hear about a problem. By learning what to do when a friend is in crisis, you can provide support during their most dire moments. That’s why SUNY is offering free QPR mental health crisis intervention training, which will teach you three simple steps for responding when someone mentions suicidal thoughts or is struggling with suicidal ideation: Question, Persuade, Refer.
Think of it like CPR — the more people who know it, the safer we all are. And the more people who know how to react to a mental health crisis, the safer we all are.
We know this time of year is busy as you finish up coursework and prepare for finals. The training takes less than an hour, and could help save a life. We are offering the training for free, and upon completion, you will have a two-year certification.
Here’s how to sign up:
- Go to the QPR account page.
- Enter “SUNY” in the “Organization Code” field.
- Create your free training account using your @morrisville.edu email address.
- Follow the instructions to complete the training.
We’ve asked a lot of you this past year. You’ve masked up. You’ve social distanced. You’ve studied remotely. What have we learned? That we’re strongest when we all look out for each other. In that same spirit, we encourage you to consider enrolling in a training session today so we’re all better prepared if that conversation comes our way.
So you know it’s not all on students — I completed the training myself recently and I am encouraging the faculty and staff of SUNY Morrisville to do the same.