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Resources for Hope: QPR and 988 · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Many people experience moments of emotional distress, and sometimes those moments turn into crises.
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  The good news is that support is available and prevention doesn't rest on professionals alone.
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  What if knowing one number or starting one conversation could make a difference?
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  Welcome to Talking FACS, where our primary goal is to improve the quality of
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  life for individuals, families, and communities by providing trusted,
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  relatable information that is
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  the foundation of the work we do in Family and Consumer Sciences Extension.
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  I am your host, Mindy McCulley, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support.
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  Today, we're talking about crisis support and suicide prevention,
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  topics that can feel heavy but are rooted in care, connection, and hope.
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  In this episode, we'll touch on how community members can recognize when someone
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  may be struggling, why reaching out matters, and how resources like the 988
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  Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provide immediate support during difficult moments.
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  We'll also discuss the idea behind QPR, which stands for Question,
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  Persuade, and Refer, which reminds us that noticing, asking,
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  and connecting with someone to help can save lives.
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  This conversation isn't about having all the answers. It's about being present,
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  paying attention, and knowing that help is always available for yourself or
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  for someone you care about.
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  My guest is Dr. Natese Dockery, Assistant Clinical Professor for Mental Health
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  and Well-Being. Welcome, Natese.
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  Thank you for having me, Mindy. Excited to be here. And before we get started,
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  I just want to share that today's episode includes discussion of mental health
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  crises and suicide prevention.
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  So if you or someone you know needs immediate support, help is available right
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  now by calling or texting 988.
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  So, Natese
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  In the introduction, I talked about how mental health crises are manageable
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  and that we have support.
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  What exactly is 988 Crisis and Suicide Prevention Lifeline?
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  So the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, although the name says Suicide and Crisis
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  Lifeline, anyone who is experiencing a rough time could actually reach out to them.
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  They're available 24-7 via text or phone.
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  I believe they also have a chat feature within their website.
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  It's really there to help anyone who's going through a difficult time.
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  So you could be having, you know, one of the worst days in your life and you
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  feel like you don't have much support within your real life.
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  So if you can call them, you're having some emotional distress,
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  maybe even concerns when it comes to alcohol or drug use, you can kind of reach out to them.
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  And they have a trained professional who can kind of talk you through your issues
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  and how to better support you.
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  You can also use that number or provide that number to someone else who you
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  feel like might be in distress. So they're really there to kind of help you
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  tie up any loose ends when it comes to your emotional and mental wellness.
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  So you mentioned signs of distress. What are some of those signs of distress
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  and how can we respond appropriately?
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  Yeah, one of the main things that folks might start to notice is that someone
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  just does not seem to be like themselves, if that makes sense.
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  So they might have some big changes in mood.
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  So they might be this happy-go-lucky person normally in their day-to-day life,
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  but they might start to. If you think about the character from one of the Pooh
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  Eeyore, they might start to be down and just kind of sad throughout their day
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  and kind of feeling hopeless.
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  They might have changes in their appetite, changes in their sleep.
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  So maybe eating more, eating less, sleeping more, sleeping less.
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  They might also start to isolate themselves a little bit more as well.
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  So there's a lot of different changes that you might notice.
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  Some of them might be a little bit more subtle.
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  Others, not so much, such as talking about wanting to end their life.
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  So things like that, that we need to kind of, you know, recognize as things
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  that need to be taken seriously.
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  This is not just for an individual who is feeling these signs or seeing those signs.
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  So when community members access the 988 features, what actually happens?
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  Yeah, so they are connected with, like I said earlier, a trained professional
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  that kind of takes them through different resources that might be available
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  in their area. They also have resources within their website that folks can also access.
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  So if you're not comfortable, you know, calling or texting or chatting,
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  you can also browse their website to see what resources they might have available
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  that you could then pass along to the folks that you know who might be in a crisis.
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  So we know that connections are important.
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  But for our listeners, why is it so important that people stay connected with one another? Yeah.
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  Yeah, connection is a huge protective factor that we have when it comes to our mental health.
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  A lot of times we can take our relationships for granted, not realizing that
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  just us being there for someone can make a huge difference.
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  So if you know someone who might be in crisis, for instance,
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  you might not have the words or the therapy jargon or whatever it might be that
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  a professional has, but just simply being there for someone or reminding them
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  like, I see that you're going through a rough time. I'm here for you.
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  I'm here with you can make a huge difference on whether that person decides to continue on or not.
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  And, of course, using 988 or QPR as a resource then gives a lot that you
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  need behind you to help provide the connection and the support for that person in crisis.
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  Yes, definitely, especially at QPR. It kind of trains you through the type of
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  questions that ask folks who might be in a crisis, also helps you kind of persuade
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  them to go and receive that help,
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  and also helps you kind of identify what resources might be useful for that person.
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  A lot of people find it difficult to ask for help if they need support or don't
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  know what to say when they see someone in crisis.
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  Can you give us a little bit of guidance about where to go when you see that situation?
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  Yeah, so asking for help is hard, but then also reaching out to someone when
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  you notice that something might not be, you know, fully 100 with them is also
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  a little bit challenging, especially for folks who feel like,
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  I'm not a professional, I don't know what to say.
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  So for the folks who are experiencing challenges in their lives,
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  just simply going to someone who they trust, because trust is a huge thing,
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  and being like, you know, I'm really not feeling like myself right now.
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  I don't 100% know what's going on, but I do feel like I need someone to talk to.
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  Obviously, I know that you're not a professional or that you might not have
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  all of the words to say, but I just need somebody to talk to at this point.
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  And then on the flip side, like I shared earlier, if you notice that someone's
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  not 100% themselves being like, you know, I noticed that you're not yourself
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  today or you seem a little bit down.
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  Want to tell me what's going on or how can I help you? Again,
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  just being in that space and kind of offering up that support is more than enough half of the time.
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  That is so true. And sometimes you might get the answer, I don't have anything to talk about.
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  That's okay. Just stay with them. Just be with them. And sometimes that presence
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  is all that they need, right?
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  Definitely, yeah. A lot of times we just need somebody else to be there and
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  kind of body double with us, for lack of better words.
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  Sometimes you just need to see another person in your space so that you feel less alone.
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  Well, I have found this conversation to be very resourceful,
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  and I hope that our listeners will as well. As we wrap up, do we have any reminders
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  that we need to leave with all these listeners?
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  I just think one of the most important things for folks to remember is that
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  just as important as our physical health is, our mental health is as well.
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  So if you feel a little bit off, reach out to your professionals or also your
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  friends and family and kind of lean on those resources.
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  And also know that help is everywhere. Like I shared earlier, 988 is there 24 seven.
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  It's free, it's confidential. You can call, you can text, you can chat if you're
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  not comfortable with talking on the phone.
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  The resources are there and they're there to kind of help you get out of whatever rut you might be in.
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  And if today's conversation sparked reflection, consider how small actions,
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  checking in, listening, or sharing resources can help strengthen the well-being
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  of your family, friends, and community.
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  Thanks for spending this time with us today. And remember, help,
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  hope, and connection are always possible.
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  Natese as always, I appreciate you taking the time to share with me and with
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  our listeners. Thank you.
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  And if you're just tuning in, you are listening to Talking FACS,
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  and you can find us on all major podcast platform providers.
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  Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition,
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  health, resource management, family development, and civic engagement.
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  If you enjoyed today's podcast, have a question or a show topic idea,
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  leave a like and a comment on Facebook at UKFCSEXT or send us an email at UKFCSEXT@uky.edu
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  Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu to learn more about the University of Kentucky
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  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program or contact your local Extension
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  agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
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  We build strong families. We build Kentucky. It starts with us.