On August 18, 2017 library directors and their staff from the Central Pa, Johnstown, and Altoona Districts joined presenters Marisa Vicere (Jana Marie Foundation) and Heather Moran (Peer Star, LLC) at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona for a Mental Health 101 for Library Staff workshop and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training.

Library staff encounters patrons with many different mental health challenges and may not know how to communicate effectively with these patrons who, often times, simply need care and concern. The library staff at the workshop learned that listening to the patron, letting them know you are concerned and want to help, not making promises you can’t keep/lying to the patron, keeping a list of helpful resources handy, and knowing when to call for help for the patron are all key ingredients of a successful interaction with these patrons.

The presenters introduced the QPR method of approaching a patron exhibiting the warning signs of suicide. Q stands for “Question.” Ask the patron questions (direct and less direct) to discern what they are thinking and feeling at the moment. Some of the questions are hard to ask but are necessary in order to give the patron hope. The P stands for “Persuade” with which you try to persuade someone to stay alive. Offer hope in any form at this stage. Use your communication skills to really listen. This can rekindle hope and make all the difference. And finally, the R stands for “Refer”. This involves getting the patron to commit to accepting help and then getting them that help directly.

The presenters also shared and discussed an interesting fact sheet entitled “Mental Health Facts in America” and provided a resource tool — a document featuring crisis intervention organizations sorted by Pennsylvania County. The participants came away from the workshop with the tools needed to help their patrons and “…to plant the seeds of hope” for these patrons. And hope helps prevent suicide.

This workshop was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, Governor.

–submitted by
Amy Horell,
District Consultant,
Altoona Area Public Library