The Center for Health and Human Services
MTSU Mental Health Awareness Training
Looking for Mental Health or Suicide Prevention Training?
While CHHS is not currently offering grant-funded Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) or Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, individuals interested in these programs may continue to seek training opportunities through state, local, and national organizations. CHHS is also actively pursuing new grant funding with the goal of bringing back a full-scale mental health awareness training program that includes MHFA and QPR opportunities for the MTSU campus and collegiate partners across Tennessee.
Training Opportunities:
Mental Health First Aid
- Tennessee Department of Health Mental Health First Aid Program: https://www.tn.gov/health/mhfa.html
- National Mental Health First Aid: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org
The national Mental Health First Aid website includes a searchable directory of upcoming courses and instructor-led training opportunities.
QPR and Suicide Prevention Training
- Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network: https://www.tspn.org/events-training
- QPR Institute: https://qprinstitute.com
The QPR Institute provides information about QPR training and certified instructors, including opportunities to locate in-person or virtual training.
Additional Tennessee Behavioral Health Resources
Training opportunities may also be available through local behavioral health organizations, including:
- Mental Health Cooperative: https://www.mhc-tn.org/
- Volunteer Behavioral Health: https://www.vbhcs.org/
Individuals are encouraged to contact these organizations directly or use their online resources to identify current training opportunities.
QPR Training for MTSU Classes and Departments
For the past few years, many MTSU students have completed QPR suicide prevention training through faculty participation in CHHS’s “Don’t Cancel Class” initiative.
Although the SAMHSA-funded CHHS training initiative concluded 9/29/26, faculty and departments interested in bringing a QPR trainer to a class, meeting, or other campus setting may contact Katherine Prince with Prevention Coalition 4 Success at kprince@pc4s.org for information about scheduling a QPR training.
What are QPR (Question/Persuade/Refer) and Mental Health First Aid?
The QPR Mission: To save lives and reduce suicidal behaviors by providing innovative, practical, and proven suicide prevention training. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know.
What does QPR mean? QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.
Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying “Yes” to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor.
For more information about QPR, go to https://qprinstitute.com/about-qpr
What is a Gatekeeper? According to the Surgeon General’s National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (2001), a gatekeeper is someone in a position to recognize a crisis and the warning signs that someone may be contemplating suicide.
Gatekeepers can be anyone, but include parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, squad leaders, foremen, police officers, advisors, caseworkers, firefighters, and many others who are strategically positioned to recognize and refer someone at risk of suicide.
Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid is a national evidence-based training program that teaches members of the general public how to help a person who is developing a mental health challenge, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health challenge or in a mental health crisis. This skills-based training covers mental health concerns such as: anxiety, panic attacks, depression, suicide prevention, non-suicidal self injury, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorder. Mental Health First Aid is intended to create a culture of mental health awareness by providing training on mental health conditions, information on mental health resources and information on services and resources available.
Project News and Highlights
January 2023 – MTSU CHHS receives funding to bring back Mental Health First Aid training to campus 2023 -2026.
May 10, 2019 – MTSU-CHHS staff appeared on WGNS Radio to share information about the new MTSU Mental Health Awareness Training grant from SAMHSA. Read the article or listen to the podcast by clicking here.
Additional MTSU MHFA News:
- Read the May 10, 2019, MT News article about Mental Health First Aid at MTSU!
- October 2018 media release.
Campus Service Providers
- MTSU Counseling and Testing Center
- MTSU Center for Counseling and Psychological Services
- MTSU Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center
- MTSU Student Health Services
The 2023–2026 MTSU Mental Health Awareness Training project was supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through a financial assistance award totaling $498,700, with 100% of project funding provided by SAMHSA/HHS and $0 funded by nongovernment sources. The contents of this webpage are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, SAMHSA/HHS or the U.S. Government.
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