The central focus of the talk is how taking the risk of striking up a conversation with a stranger in crisis can lead to positive action for us and the person having a difficult time. Christopher W. Drapeau is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Valparaiso University. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Ball State University and completed a Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship at Mississippi State University. Christopher’s research aims to increase understanding and awareness about why people think about and engage in suicidal behavior, with specific emphasis on the contributions of pain, sleep, and social learning. His research also focuses on understanding the course of suicide loss for those left behind and how technology can assist in mental health promotion. Christopher also co-founded the East Central Indiana Suicide Prevention Coalition and served as Chair from 2012-2014. Christopher is a Master Trainer for an evidence-based suicide prevention training called QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) and has experience training community members, university administration/faculty, psychologists, religious leaders, school districts/crisis response teams, and pre-service teacher trainees in suicide prevention and postvention response. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx