Brian Quinnett of QPR Institute Helps Prevent Suicide
Written by: Brian Quinnett, Training Director at QPR Institute
Giving Kitchen received QPR suicide prevention training prior to Anthony Bourdain’s suicide. Following a highprofile death by suicide, there can be a heightened level of suicide risk in those influenced by the death.
Due to their training, Giving Kitchen was prepared to effectively help those in the industry struggling with Anthony’s passing. This also led to GK’s Executive Director Bryan Schroeder reaching out to us about offering free QPR Training nationally to anyone in the industry. Suicide occurs across all ages, races, religions, social and economic statuses. As such, my job enables me to work and train in almost all walks of life. But Giving Kitchen created our first opportunity to offer QPR training to those in the food service industry.
“I believe food service workers function as an integral part of our society. We gather and eat and celebrate important life events in our restaurants, taverns, cafes and pizzerias. They tie our communities together. But they work difficult jobs, suffer from stress and fatigue, and sometimes they need outside support.”
A life-long friend of mine is a chef. Through him, I have some insight into the lifestyle, stress, hours and other inherent struggles involved with working in the restaurant industry. My friend has battled drug and alcohol addictions, job insecurity, difficult hours, and on and on. People working in this industry need support, and suicide prevention training can be an important asset.
QPR is a suicide prevention program that teaches people to recognize the warning signs of someone struggling and encourages them to reach out to offer support and help. There is no greater gift than leaning into another’s pain. These gifts can be life-saving.