Suicide Crisis Support 1.08

This is an electronic version of the booklet “The Tender Leaves of Hope, Helping Someone Survive a Suicide Crisis.” Emergency Room Personnel, Counselors, Physicians and Suicide Crisis Centers have distributed over 7000 copies of this booklet in the year 2010. The QPR Institute has released this booklet in electronic form as a free app in the hopes of reaching more families and individuals through this non-traditional form of distribution. Emergency room personnel can now instruct families of the availability of this booklet as a free download to an Android phone.

The QPR Institute offers comprehensive suicide prevention training programs, educational and clinical materials for the general public, professionals and institutions. QPR stands for Question, Persuade and Refer, three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught gatekeeper training program in the United States, and more than one million citizens have been trained to help prevent suicide. This app contains a link to the online QPR gatekeeper-training course.

The Tender Leaves of Hope booklet was written directly to the spouse, parents, friends or relatives of older teenagers and adults who have been assessed by a professional to be at elevated risk for suicide. The booklet will most frequently be given to a family member by a professional healthcare provider or organization, although it is available to anyone.

The primary purpose of this educational booklet is to make sure the suicidal person’s loved ones know and understand the following:
- their own emotional reactions to threats of suicide
- why people become suicidal
- how to listen
- how to reduce risk by removing the means of suicide
- what warning signs to look for and what to say and do when they are present
- the role of depression and alcohol in suicidal behavior
- what do to when the suicidal person refuses help

The Tender Leaves of Hope is a “family education” booklet and provides guidelines for how friends and family members can help minimize the risk of a suicide attempt. It can be distributed following:
- Emergency room or crisis center evaluations
- Discharge from psychiatric hospitals or residential facilities
- Medical, counseling, pastoral or mental health office visits
- Telephone crisis evaluations (can be mailed)
- Any contact in which suicide risk has been established by a professional

Hard copy booklets can be ordered from the QPR Institute’s online bookstore.