The National Farm Medicine Center has an upcoming series of suicide prevention trainings led by experienced trainers from AgriSafe Network. These sessions are designed to give community members the tools and confidence to recognize when someone may be struggling and to respond in a supportive, life-saving way.
These trainings are practical, approachable, and appropriate for a wide range of community members, from healthcare providers and educators to farmers, parents, community leaders, and anyone who wants to better support the people around them.
Training Courses: QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer)
Format: Live in person
Instructional time: 1 hour
Target audience: Community gatekeepers
QPR training is designed to teach the warning signs of suicide, increase the learner’s confidence when talking to someone in crisis, provide resources for community members, instill hope, and decrease stigma. A special veteran curriculum adapted for a rural community is available for this project.
CALM (Conversations on Access to Lethal Means)
Format: Live in person
Instructional time: 1 hour
Target audience: This training is ideal for a variety of general audiences, community groups, suicide prevention coalitions, shooting clubs, parent groups and EMS/emergency responders.
While there is no clinical background needed for this one-hour version, it is a great alternative for health professionals with limited time. CALM is a practical intervention for increasing the time and distance between individuals at risk of suicide and lethal means, particularly firearms. CALM is the oldest and most widely used training on lethal means safety and teaches why access to lethal means matters. It also equips individuals to intervene effectively with those at risk of suicide, both before and during a crisis. This training teaches the learner how to recognize signs of distress and how to intervene, practice navigating difficult conversations about safety and strategies for limiting access to lethal means and providing community resources to support individuals in crisis.
CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means)
Format: Live in person
Instructional time: 3.5 hours
Target audience: This training is a workshop format created for mental health clinicians, primary care providers, substance abuse counselors, and crisis intervention professionals.
The workshop includes case studies, clinical video vignettes, safety planning basics and offers opportunities to practice clinical conversations.
Training Dates
To register, please email [email protected] or call 715-532-2329.
March 23 – Marshfield Medical Center-Rice Lake, 1700 West Stout St.
11 a.m. – Question Persuade Refer (QPR)
Noon – CALM Conversations (lunch included for those registered)
1:30 p.m. – QPR
2:30 p.m. – CALM Conversations
March 24 – Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua, 9576 Highway 70
9 a.m. – QPR
10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. – CALM Counseling (open to healthcare providers)
Lunch served around noon
3 p.m. – CALM Conversations
March 25 in Auburndale at Elementary School Auditorium, 10564 School St.
8:30-9:15am – check-in and networking – coffee and pastries provided
9:15 a.m. – QPR
10:30 a.m. – CALM Conversations
March 25 in Marshfield at Rembs Celebration Center, 250 S. Oak Ave.
1 p.m. – QPR
2 p.m. – CALM Conversations
March 26 – Marshfield Medical Center, Marshfield, 1000 N. Oak Ave., (across the street at Froehlke Auditorium inside the Laird Center for Medical Research)
9 a.m. – QPR
10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. – CALM Counseling (open to healthcare providers)
Lunch served around noon
3 p.m. – CALM Conversations
March 27 – Wausau at Elks Lodge, 414 Scott St.
8:30 a.m. – QPR
9:30 a.m. – CALM Conversations
