September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month — a time when we come together to support each other and take meaningful action to prevent suicide. It’s also an opportunity to talk about how each of us can help prevent suicide and share local resources from the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB).  

Raymond Paden, Program Manager of the CSB’s Wellness, Health Promotion and Prevention team shares that, “Providing hope starts with simply letting a person know that you care and that they are not alone.”

Be Prepared to Help

The CSB’s Wellness, Health Promotion & Prevention team offers free QPR Suicide Prevention Training. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer: three easy steps people can learn to help someone at risk of suicide. 

In just one hour, offered both online and in person, you learn to:

• Question someone about their feelings
• Persuade them that help is out there
• Refer them to a trusted adult, a counselor or a healthcare provider

Anyone 16 years and older can take QPR. We encourage parents, teachers, neighbors, coaches — anyone who wants to keep others safe and show they care — to sign up. Sign up for a training today.

Additionally, the CSB has a limited supply of free locking medication boxes and trigger locks that fit a wide variety of firearms. This regional "Lock and Talk Northern Virginia" safety program is a collaborative initiative of the Suicide Prevention Alliance of Northern Virginia  (SPAN). Medication and firearm locking devices as well as drug disposal kits are available at seven locations throughout Fairfax County. 

988: Easy Support and Help

988 is a three-digit number you or someone you care about can call, text or chat with anytime, day or night, to talk with a trained counselor.

This service is:

• Free, confidential and always available
• A place to turn if you’re feeling upset, stressed or thinking about suicide
• Available in more than 150 languages (including Spanish), as well as for veterans and deaf and hard of hearing callers via ASL videophone and chat

Help is there for everyone.

Local CSB Services

The Fairfax-Falls Church CSB provides additional local support. As always, call 911 if you have an urgent need for police or medical response.

CSB services include:

• 24/7 crisis support, including walk-in care through our Emergency Services at the Sharon Bulova Center or call 703-573-5679 TTY 711
• Mobile Crisis Teams that come to you if needed
• Non-emergency mental health services — call 703-383-8500, or walk in at the Sharon Bulova Center during weekday hours
• Additional support for substance misuse, developmental disabilities and other needs

During Suicide Prevention Month and all year long, remember: every connection matters, and each of us can help save a life.