Johns Creek United Methodist Church and the Summit Counseling Center will host a free suicide prevention training on Nov. 14, open to any adult in the community.
The two-hour session teaches QPR, which stands for Question, Persuade and Refer. The method trains everyday people to spot warning signs that someone may be considering suicide and to guide that person toward professional help. The QPR Institute, which developed the approach in 1995, calls it the most widely taught gatekeeper training in the world, comparing it to CPR for cardiac emergencies.
Jennifer Acker, a licensed professional counselor and QPR instructor on staff at Summit Counseling Center, will lead the interactive, in-person session. Participants will receive a training booklet and reference cards to take home, according to the church's event page.
The training runs from 10 a.m. to noon on a Saturday at Johns Creek UMC, 11180 Medlock Bridge Road. Refreshments will be provided by the church's Summit Counseling Center Advisory Committee.
The event is free, but registration is required through Eventbrite.
Participants must be 18 or older.
The partnership between the church and Summit Counseling Center dates back more than a decade. Summit, a Johns Creek-based nonprofit that has provided counseling services since 1990, opened a satellite office at the Medlock Bridge Road church campus in 2014, according to the organization's website. In 2019, Summit received a Fulton County Community Services Program grant to train adults who work with children and youth to recognize mental health and suicide warning signs.
The Summit Counseling Center promoted the training on X, urging residents to learn how to recognize warning signs and connect someone in crisis to help. Summit operates its main office in Johns Creek along with six community-based locations across Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton, Dunwoody and Sugar Hill.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
