Summary
Our Gatekeeper course is taught in a clear, concise format using the latest in educational technology and practices. The course takes approximately one hour to complete. Key components covered in training: How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be suicidal; How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide; The common causes of suicidal behavior; The warning signs of suicide; How to get help for someone in crisis.
Additional outcomes:
Increased knowledge of suicide risk in school staff, increased knowlede and attitudes related to suicide in school staff
Strategies supporting educational equity (CASEL)
Not available at this time.
Implementation
Below are key implementation details for this program. These specifications help determine if the program is a good fit for your school or organization.
Grade(s)
High School (9-12)
Setting
Classroom, Schoolwide, Home, Community
Language
English
Cost
Contact provider
# Lessons
1 60-minute online course
Program Design
Tier 1 (Universal)
Technology Requirements
Online training - student devices required
Staffing Requirements
No additional staff needed
Professional Development
Onsite virtual Train the Trainer
Outcomes
Decreased substance use
Improved attitude/behavior related to substance use
Advocate for reducing stigma associated with emotional and mental and behavioral health
Compare & contrast emotional, mental-behavioral illness, mental well-being and concurrent disorders
Decreased suicidal behavior
Describe how self-harm or suicide impacts other people
Describe laws related to minors accessing mental health care
Explain how to help someone who is thinking about attempting suicide
Identify school and community resources that can help a person with emotional, mental and behavioral health concerns
Improved Academic Performance
Improved attitude/behavior related to suicide
Improved identification of individuals at-risk for suicide
Improved Identity Development/ Agency
Improved Prosocial Behavior
Improved School Climate
Improved School Connectedness
Improved SEL Skills and Attitudes
Improved Teaching Practices
Increased help-seeking behavior
Reduced Emotional Distress
Reduced Problem Behavior
Mental Health Literacy Components
This program addresses the following mental health literacy components:
Understanding stigma and strategies for stigma reduction
Understanding how to foster & maintain positive mental health
Understanding how to seek help effectively
Understanding common mental health disorders, signs and symptoms, and treatments
Evidence of Effectiveness
One study compared gatekeeper training as usual with training plus brief behavioral rehearsal (i.e., role play practice) on a variety of learning outcomes after training and at follow-up for 91 school staff and 56 parents in a school community (Cross et al., 2011). They found few differences between school staff and parent participants. Both training conditions resulted in enhanced knowledge and attitudes, and almost all participants spread gatekeeper training information to others in their network. A group-based randomized trial with 32 schools examined impact of Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training on a stratified random sample of 249 staff with 1-year average follow-up (Wyman et al., 2008). Appraisals increased most for staff with lowest baseline appraisals, and suicide identification behaviors increased most for staff already communicating with students about suicide and distress. Consistent with the communication model, increased knowledge and appraisals were not sufficient to increase suicide identification behaviors. Also consistent with the communication model were results from 2,059 8th and 10th graders surveyed showing that fewer students with prior suicide attempts endorsed talking to adults about distress. No study has evaluated outcomes following student completion of the course.
Published Studies
Cross, W. F., Seaburn, D., Gibbs, D., Schmeelk-Cone, K., White, A. M., & Caine, E. D. (2011). Does practice make perfect? A randomized control trial of behavioral rehearsal on suicide prevention gatekeeper skills. Journal of Primary Prevention, 32(3-4), 195-211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-011-0250-z
Wyman, P. A., Brown, C. H., Inman, J., Cross, W., Schmeelk-Cone, K., Guo, J., & Pena, J. B. (2008). Randomized trial of a gatekeeper program for suicide prevention: 1-year impact on secondary school staff. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(1), 104-115. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.76.1.104