2024 Pre-Conference Workshops

Engage and Connect: Essentials for New Family Engagement Professionals

This pre-conference workshop is for professionals new to the field (with less than two years of responsibilities in family engagement) or in a family programming-adjacent role to learn about best practices and resources in family engagement. This will include exclusive networking opportunities, as well as educational content and experiences, before the start of the 2024 AHEPPP National Conference. The learning outcomes below are designed to ensure attendees gain theoretical knowledge and practical skills and resources they can immediately implement to enhance family engagement and communication at their institution, leading to increased student success and retention.

Learning outcomes:

1. Best Practices in Family Engagement: Attendees will be able to identify and describe best practices for engaging families within the context of higher education. This includes strategies for effective family communication and engagement practices that cater to diverse family dynamics.

2. Professional Development and Networking: By the end of the workshop, participants will have initiated a network of peers and mentors within AHEPPP, facilitating ongoing collaboration and support post-conference.

3. Comprehensive Understanding of AHEPPP: Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the Association of Higher Education Parent/Family Program Professionals (AHEPPP), including its history, mission, and member resources.

 Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training

This pre-conference workshop is for all professionals in a family programming-adjacent role.

Ask a question, save a life. QPR is not a form of counseling or treatment. Rather it is intended to offer hope through positive action. In daily interactions with constituents, students, colleagues, and even family and friends, suicide is an unfortunate reality that does not discriminate and for this reason, QPR is a universal intervention. QPR action can support our roles as parent and family professionals and beyond and is a valuable program that can be offered as a resource to the families we work with. By becoming a certified QPR gatekeeper, attendees will learn to recognize the warning signs, clues, and suicidal communications of people in trouble, and gain skills to act vigorously to prevent a possible tragedy.

The following learning outcomes are designed for attendees to become certified gatekeepers and conduits for sharing QPR with constituents.

Learning outcomes:

1. Recognize someone at risk for suicide The sooner warning signs are detected and help sought, the better the outcome of a suicidal crisis will be.

2. Intervene with those at risk Asking someone about the presence of suicidal thoughts and feelings opens up a conversation that may lead to a referral for help.

3. Refer them to appropriate resources Referral to local resources or calling 988 for evaluation and possible referral is critical.

4. The value of informing families Participants will gain more than a certification as a QPR gatekeeper but also an in-depth understanding of how to implement QPR with parents, families, and stakeholders.

The Surgeon General's National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (2001) defines a gatekeeper as an individual who can identify a crisis and the indicators that someone might be considering suicide. After finishing this training, participants will be awarded a certificate of completion and a QPR Gatekeeper digital download. QPR certified trainings fulfill numerous state-mandated training criteria. State employees should consult their employer for verification.