Charlotte mental health advocate provides free suicide prevention education
You may remember Fonda Bryant – 2021’s National Remarkable Woman of the Year as crowned by Fox46. Her mission to prevent suicide started with suicide prevention signs in parking decks around Charlotte and has continued with free suicide prevention courses.
The online course costs nothing, can be done from the convenience of your home and takes just two hours to complete. Most importantly, it can save a life.
“You learn about the language around suicide and how that keeps the stigma going,” Bryant said. “What to say and not to say, and that culture very much matters when it comes to mental health and suicide prevention. Suicide is the most preventable death of all death. You don’t have to be a professional to save a life. In the time a person watches a movie, they could be trained in how to save a life.”
Free QPR Suicide Training
Details: The Question, Persuade Refer course trains individuals to recognize the signs of crisis, to listen and talk in a non-judgmental way and to help anyone struggling find the help they need.
When: Feb. 19, 1-3 p.m. Future course dates will be announced on Bryant’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts or are available by emailing her at fondanc_40@yahoo.com.
How:
Online: From a computer, tablet or smartphone
Dial in by phone:
United States: +1 (872) 240-3212
One-touch: tel:+18722403212, 549018973#
Access Code: 549-018-973
Additional information: Registration is not required, but participants must be on time and stay for the duration of the two-hour training.
Resources
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., killing 47,511 Americans in 2019 alone. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, a full list of resources is available in our online guide. For immediate help:
Emergency: 911
Visit: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Call: 1-800-273-8255 or Promise Resource Network 24/7/365 WARMLINE: 833-390-7728
Text: HELP to 741741
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
