6 Things to Do to Prevent Suicides

by Sally Spencer-Thomas

Permission to post by International Thought Leadership

This year, for World Suicide Prevention Day, the theme is “Reaching Out to Save Lives” – a message all employers can use to let people know that everyone can play a role in suicide prevention. The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force members and the organizations they serve offer the top six things workplaces can do during the month of September to make prevention a health and safety priority:

1. Offer a Leadership Proclamation: “Not Another Life to Lose”

Members of executive leadership can take bold and visible positions declaring suicide prevention and mental health promotion critical workplace concerns. This proclamation can be in the form of a newsletter to employees or a video on a website.

• There is sample proclamation language within this National Suicide Prevention Week Toolkit from the American Association of Suicidology; for those working with American Indian and Alaska Native audiences, use the Action Alliance’s culturally relevant materials for promoting Hope for Life Day.
• Here is a video with Bob Turner, the private sector co-chair of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, from the 2014 US/Canada Forum on Workplace Suicide Prevention.
• Here are three articles, “A Call to Action on Mental Health,” “How to be a Visionary in Mental Health” and “Stand Up for Robin Williams,” by Sally Spencer-Thomas, the co-lead of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force.

2. Highlight Mental Health Resources

Host a brown bag lunch program each day for the week. Invite employee assistance program (EAP) representatives or other local mental health professionals to offer educational session on stress, work-life balance, coping with depression or other related topics.
Offer a mental health fair where local suicide prevention, mental health or other wellness resources share more information and employees get a “passport” stamped for each one they visit. Completed passports go into a drawing for a prize.
Send resources to employees such as:

• EAP phone number or website with a list of answers to frequently asked questions
• Screening tool: “Workplace Response: Screening for Mental Health”
• Article: “Making Mental Health Your Business” by Candice Porter of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force
• Hotlines: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK/8255)
• Online support resources:
  • Community Forum for Suicide Loss Survivors
  • “Get Help” from National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
  • ManTherapy.org – self-screening and humor to engage men to think about mental health in a different way
  • CirclesOfSupports.org – resources for peers and caring adults of youth suicide attempt survivors

3. Launch a Mental Wellness Task Force

A true comprehensive and sustained public health approach to prevention will take more than an awareness week or one-time training. To create significant change, a more strategic approach is needed. Start by pulling together a small group of stakeholders – people whose job titles reflect some level of relevance to this issue (i.e., wellness, HR, risk management, safety) and others who are passionate about prevention because it has touched their lives personally. Their task? To identify culturally relevant areas of strength and vulnerability for suicide within the organization and to develop a strategic approach to change.
Here are some resources:

• Workplace self-assessment tool: “How Mentally Healthy is Your Workplace?”
• Article: “Why Employers Must Help Stop Suicide,” by Jodi Jacobsen Frey, a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force
• Article: “Suicide Prevention: Talk About It at Work,” by Rich Paul, a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force
• Article: “Breaking the Silence on Mental Health,” by Bernard Dyme, a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force
• Article: “A Blueprint for Preventing Suicide,” by Michelle Holmberg, a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force
• Workplace blueprint from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
• Online resource: WorkingMinds.org

4. Leverage Social Media

During this week, companies can join the international conversation by posting on Twitter and Facebook.

• Sample posts:
  • [Name of company or Twitter handle] makes #suicideprevention a health and safety priority #WSPD15
  • [Name of company or Twitter handle] We are doing our part to #preventsuicide during #NSPW. Everyone can play a role!
• Hashtags:
  • National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 7-13)
    • #NSPW
    • #NSPW15
    • #SuicidePrevention
  • World Suicide Prevention Day (Sept. 10)
    • #WSPD
    • #WSPD15
  • Workplace
    • #WorkplaceMH
    • #WorkingMinds
  • Guidelines on social media and mental health.

5. Honor Suicide Loss With Candle-Lighting Ceremony

How companies respond to the aftermath of suicide matters greatly. Grief and trauma support, thoughtful communication and compassionate leadership can help a workforce make the transition from immobilization to a bonded community.
Here are some resources:

• Example of candle-lighting ceremony honoring those who’ve died by suicide
• Tool: “A Manager’s Guide to Suicide Postvention: 10 Action Steps for Dealing with the Aftermath of Suicide”
• Article: “A Manager’s Response to Workplace Suicide” by Jodi Jacobsen Frey, a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force
• Article: “Preventing Deaths Following a Suicide,” by Judy Beahan, a member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force

6. Donate to or Volunteer for Local or National Suicide Prevention Organizations

Engaging in community prevention efforts is a great way for employees to give back and to get to know the local resources available. Corporate investments in prevention programs and research will help us get ahead of the problem. Get involved!
Here are some resources:

• Donate to suicide prevention organizations
• Walk for suicide prevention (community walks offered by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
• Article: “Why Invest in Suicide Prevention?” from Insurance Thought Leadership contributor Sue Murray

About the Author

Sally Spencer-Thomas, Psy.D., is the CEO of the Carson J Spencer Foundation, the Survivor Division director for the American Association for Suicidology and the Workplace Task Force co-lead for the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Spencer-Thomas is a professional speaker and trainer, presenting nationally and internationally on the topic of suicide prevention, and has published four books on mental health. She also maintains a blog on issues related to suicide prevention in the workplace.  

Learning from Lived Experience: Bridging the Gap between Mental Health Service Providers and Suicide Attempt Survivors

Photo credit: @ElevatingtheConvo

On February 27^th at the University of Denver a historic event took place. Three hundred mental health service providers and people with lived experience with suicidal thoughts and behaviors came together at the annual “Elevating the Conversation” conference to have a better understanding of how to make treatment more effective.

The day began with a panel of suicide attempt survivors sharing their journeys of recovery from their darkest days. All three had attempted as youth or young adults, and all three had been written off by their providers as chronic and deteriorating cases. Today all three are thriving with national level leadership positions in mental health, intact families, and stable mental health states. They talked about how for them, “treatment” often felt like punishment, and how compassion and peer support were often powerful elements in their healing.

The second panel consisted of three mental health providers – two psychologists and a psychiatrist – who talked about their lived experience with suicide loss (family and client) and suicide attempts. Together they addressed the myth of professional distinction so often reinforced -- “us” and “them” – and spoke about how all of us are touched in one way or another by suicide. They talked honestly and openly about how their lived experience informs their clinical practice today.

Following the panels, the presenters shared three sets of national guidelines, designed to make suicide prevention and bereavement support more effective:

• The Zero Suicide Initiative: http://zerosuicide.actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/  
• The Way Forward:  Pathways to hope, recovery, and wellness with insights from lived experience http://actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/sites/actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/files/The-Way-Forward-Final-2014-07-01.pdf 
•  Postvention Guidelines http://www.cliniciansurvivor.org/        

Too often fear drives a gap between mental health service providers and suicide attempt survivors. Being sued and losing a client to suicide are two of the biggest fears providers have. Losing one’s dignity and rights are two of the biggest fears people living with suicide intensity have. By coming together and discussing these fears and how to move past them, a bridge begins to emerge.

One World Connected: Making Suicide Prevention a Global Imperative

September 7, 2014

Sally Spencer-Thomas

For the past two weeks I have had the immense privilege of traveling internationally to participate in some of the most exciting global suicide prevention initiatives of the year. The events have left me humbled, inspired and feeling deeply connected to something big and important. First, I attended the 15^th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behavior (ESSSB15) in Tallinn, Estonia and then I had the tremendous honor of being invited to the World Health Organization’s launch of the World Suicide Report in Geneva, Switzerland. Both of these experiences have left me with the tangible impression of “one world connected” – the theme of this year’s National Suicide Prevention Week (9/8-9/14, 2014) and World Suicide Prevention Day (9/10/14).

The theme of connection is potent. When it comes to suicide prevention, having a strong sense of community and belonging is one of the most powerful protective factors against suicide. When people feel connected to something larger than themselves, they are often able to weather life’s hardships much better than those who feel isolated or who believe that they have become a burden to those who love them. This sense of connection happens between individuals; it also occurs in the global community.

In fact, connection, inclusion and collaboration were themes that emerged from both meetings from the highest levels of our world’s mental health leaders. From ESSSB15 we heard loud and clear the need to “bring the first person into our research” because we had lots of study about the “suicidal mind” but little understanding. Leaders called to action: bridge the communication gap between researchers and people with lived experience and to acknowledge the importance of compassion and empathy, dialogue and partnership. We need to get beyond studying suicidal behavior and find positive outcomes of change. As Jerry Reed, the Director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, said, “We talk a lot about deaths, but we need to talk about hope and recovery.”

Equally emphasized was the message of new and needed voices in the work of suicide prevention. Many talked about the role of making suicide prevention a central focus of health care; about the priority to engage parents and educators and to involve those that support our unemployed and underemployed.

At the World Health Organization’s two-day meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Shahkar Saxena, Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse of WHO made clear his call to action from opening remarks to the 100+ delegates from over 30 countries, when he talked about the purpose of the meeting: implementing an action plan through collaboration, “One World Connected.”

For a copy of the First World Suicide Report: http://www.who.int/mental_health/suicide-prevention/en/

Lifting up the voices of lived experience was also a priority of this ceremonial launch of the World Suicide Report. The day began with powerful testimonies from both a suicide attempt survivor from the UK and a suicide loss survivor from Kenya. Both attributed the power of compassion as the critical element to what helped them survive their dark times.

Dr. Danuta Wasserman from Sweden, the current President of the European Psychiatric Association said, “We must listen to the voices of lived experience because they challenge what we think we know.”

Dr. Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State for Primary and Social Care in Ireland reiterated the “One World” theme when she said, “This is not about the other. It’s about us. We need systems of kindness.”

Finally, Michelle Funk, Director of Mental Health Policy for WHO underscored the importance of human rights and social justice as we move into the next chapter of the suicide prevention movement. She facilitated an important conversation about strengthening leadership and governance in the movement to build capacity and improve sustainability in our efforts. Together the international partners attending committed to improving opportunities for peer support and practical recovery models. Still, in 25 countries, suicidal behavior remains criminalized and many countries, including the US still use coercion, seclusion and restraints as a method of “treatment.” Clearly, we have much work ahead of us.

 

Perhaps the most moving part of the whole 10-day experience was the presentation Matthew Johnstone, founder, illustrator and source of inspiration for the viral campaign called, “I had a black dog, his name is depression.”

Matthew illustrated the images, which became both a book and a viral video now reaching almost 4,000,000 people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc

He talked about the power of illustration to demonstrate experiences that are often beyond words. Experiences of despair and hopelessness, but also experiences of connection and recovery are depicted with charm and accuracy. As the conclusion of the meeting, Johnstone announced the launch of the new video, “Living with a Black Dog” for the supporters and carers of people living with depression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VRRx7Mtep8

This new video launched just three days ago and already has over 6,000 views.

On the plane ride home yesterday, I reflected on the intensity of our field, the potential we have when we reach out and support, and the incredible momentum we are starting to generate from the power of collaboration and the courage of lived experience; I am humbled and in awe. One World Connected.

Randi Wood Honored as Volunteer of the Year

Director of Colorado State Employee Assistance Program’s Leadership Recognized by

The Carson J Spencer Foundation

Randi and her Grandbaby

Denver, Colorado. August 5, 2014.  As the Director of the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program, Randi Wood is not a stranger to mental health issues in the workplace. Since 2008, however, she has taken this professional interest to a new level by helping Colorado be one of the first states to make workplace suicide prevention a health and safety priority for all State employees. For her leadership, perseverance and collaborative spirit, Wood will be honored as the Carson J Spencer Foundation’s (CJSF) volunteer of the year on August 24^th, 2014 at 5:30pm at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. During this event CJSF will celebrate its 10^th Annual Shining Lights of Hope Gala, a “blacktie optional” occasion. For more information visit: www.CarsonJSpencer.org.

As a long-time supporter of CJSF and their pioneering suicide prevention program Working Minds, Wood has advocated for many opportunities to integrate important awareness raising and training opportunities for different State professionals and through the Colorado EAP Association. She noticed early on that many State employees and their family members were experiencing suicidal intensity and loss, and made it her priority to better prepare State employees to prevent these tragedies and to respond with compassion should suicide occur.

Randi and Scott

Within her work with the State, Wood has been tireless in her effort to elevate the conversation about these difficult topics. She coordinated statewide campaigns for World Suicide Prevention Day/National Suicide Prevention Week including a proclamation and letter from the Governor that was sent to all employees and a number of activities promoting mental health and resources for suicide prevention. Additionally, she has helped establish a robust partnership among C-SEAP, the Department of Corrections and CJSF to train all employees on how best to identify a co-worker in distress and link him or her to qualified care.

As a member of CJSF’s Working Minds Advisory Board since its inception, Wood has helped provide strategic direction for workplace suicide prevention efforts, helping to expand the program to its current national and international reach.

“Randi is a true champion,” said Sally Spencer-Thomas, CEO & Co-Founder of the Carson J Spencer Foundation. “She understands that real change comes from a gentle and persistent insistence that everyone can play a role in suicide prevention and that when we are able to confront these issues head on at all levels of State government, we can save lives.”

New Video Provides Guidance to our Nation’s Police Departments to Make Suicide a Health and Safety Priority

New Video Provides Guidance to our Nation’s

Police Departments to Make Suicide a Health and Safety Priority 

International Association of Chiefs of Police President Makes a Call to Action

Det. Chief Quinones

Yost Zakhary

Denver, CO – The Carson J Spencer Foundation, in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, and the American Association of Suicidology, launched a new video today entitled Breaking the Silence: Suicide Prevention in Law Enforcement, making a clear call to action to Police Chiefs around the world to make suicide prevention a health and safety priority. Access video here: http://youtu.be/u-mDvJIU9RI .

The video was produced by the Carson J Spencer Foundation, a Denver-based nonprofit leading innovation in suicide prevention, and was supported financially by the Kenosha Police Department. Additional support was provided by the Denver Police Department and police psychologists from Nicoletti-Flater Associates.

Chief Morrissey

“The tough-guy culture in law enforcement certainly makes for psychological hearty police officers, but when people are overwhelmed by trauma, loss, or a break with mental illness, this tough exterior can prevent the officer from reaching out and getting some much needed support and treatment,” said Sally Spencer-Thomas, CEO and Co-Founder of the Carson J Spencer Foundation and producer of the video.

Denver Police Department
Chaplain Dr. Jackson Pope

The video features real police officers, many from Kenosha and Denver police departments, who describe their struggles in coping with challenges of law enforcement and their own experiences with suicide.

 “Our jobs, as law enforcement officers, often place us in the middle of highly traumatic situations and this can cause a lot increased emotional stress and trauma for officers”, said IACP’s President, Chief Yousry “Yost” Zakhary (City of Woodway, Texas). “In addition to making sure our officers are physically safe, we also need to make sure they are psychological safety.”

Kenosha Police Department

Sgt. Aaron Dillhoff

“Law Enforcement officers are the first line of defense in protecting our towns, cities and communities.  We must be vigilant in helping them to protect their own health,” said Doryn Chervin, Dr.P.H., Executive Secretary of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and Vice President and Senior Scientist in the Education Development Center, Inc.’s Health and Human Development Division. “The Law Enforcement community and its leaders are taking proactive measures to mitigate the risk of suicide and openly address mental health as a core element of officer safety.  The video, Breaking the Silence, brings forth courageous stories of police officers openly discussing their own mental health challenges and why seeking mental health support fosters resiliency and overall wellness.” 

Det. Sprague

"The American Association of Suicidology is proud to be affiliated with this campaign to raise awareness of suicide risk and decrease stigma associated with mental health treating-seeking among those serving in our police force,” said Michelle Cornette, Executive Director for AAS. “We acknowledge the significant potential for trauma exposure in this line of work and strongly encourage treatment-seeking among those experiencing mental health sequelae."

Officer Albrecht

“As a law enforcement officer for 30 plus years, the last eight as a chief, I assure you the care for officers' mental and emotional health must be equivalent to that of their safety and physical health. Use this video to start the conversation. Silence only compounds the problem,” said Kenosha Police Chief John Morrissey, member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Task Force.

Breaking the Silence: Suicide Prevention in Law Enforcement Video: http://youtu.be/u-mDvJIU9RI .

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The American Association of Suicidology (AAS; www.suicidology.org)is a membership organization founded in 1968 for all those involved in suicide prevention and intervention or touched by suicide. AAS leads the advancement of scientific and programmatic efforts in suicide prevention through research, education and training, the development of standards and resources, and survivor support services.

Contact: Michelle Cornette, Executive Director, 202-237-2280, cornette@suicidology.org

The Carson J Spencer Foundation (www.CarsonJSpencer.org) is a Colorado nonprofit, established in 2005. We envision a world where leaders and communities are committed to sustaining a passion for living. We elevate the conversation to make suicide prevention a health and safety priority. We sustain a passion for living by:

·         Delivering innovative and effective suicide prevention programs for working-aged people.

o   www.WorkingMinds.org

o   www.ManTherapy.org

·         Coaching young leaders to develop social enterprises for mental health promotion and suicide prevention.

·         Supporting people bereaved by suicide.

Contact: Sally Spencer-Thomas, PsyD, CEO & Co-Founder, 720-244-6535, sally@carsonjspencer.org

International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)

Kenosha Police Department
IACP President Zakhary

The IACP is the world’s largest association of law enforcement executives. Founded in 1893, the IACP has over 21,000 members in 100 countries around the world. The IACP’s mission is to advance professional police services; promote enhanced administrative, technical, and operational police practices; and foster cooperation and the exchange of information and experience among police leaders and police organizations of recognized professional and technical standing throughout the world. Additionally, the IACP champions the recruitment and training of qualified persons in the police profession and encourages all police personnel worldwide to achieve and maintain the highest standards of ethics, integrity, community interaction and professional conduct. For more information on the IACP, please visit http://www.theiacp.org

Contact: Yost Zackary, President yzakhary@woodwaymail.org and Vince Talucci talucci@theiacp.org 

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (www.ActionAllianceforSuicidePrevention.org) is the public-private partnership working to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and make suicide prevention a national priority. Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) operates the Secretariat for the Action Alliance, which was launched in 2010 by former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates with the goal of saving 20,000 lives in five years.

Contact: Eileen Sexton, Director of Communications, 202-572-5383, esexton@edc.org.

Finding Peace without All the Pieces

Finding Peace without All the Pieces

Local Author Presents on Grief after Suicide

Denver, Colorado. August 1, 2014.  When people lose a loved one to suicide they often feel like the mosaic of their life has been shattered and that they are unable to put the pieces together. Colorado author, LaRita Archibald knows about this because she has been there. She lost her son to suicide in 1978 and has been a national pioneer in the suicide bereavement movement ever since. Recently she published a book intended to help “suicide loss survivors” find their way on the challenging journey from trauma to healing to eventual peace. She will be presenting to others who have been touched by suicide and those who support them on August 13^th at 9:30am at the Mental Health Center of Denver (4141 E Dickenson Place

Denver, CO 80222). The presentation is free and open to the public.

In 1980 Archibald founded HEARTBEAT, one of the first support groups for suicide bereaved. Presently there are 42 chapters HEARTBEAT Chapters in 11 states and 2 foreign countries. She has also been instrumental in giving suicide loss survivors a voice after founding the Survivor of Loss Division of the American Association of Suicidology, an international multi-disciplinary membership organization with a mission to better understand and prevent suicide.

From decades of work with suicide bereaved, Archibald brings wisdom to help survivors of suicide loss build an understanding of the complexities of suicide grief. She offers them reassurance that what they are experiencing is normal for what they have experienced.  By giving names to the unsettling experiences of 'phantom pain' and 'flashbacks,' she validates feelings of anger, responsibility, frustration, even relief, as well as the need to search for answers, reasons and cause. In her presentation LaRita suggests practical strategies for moving from being a victim to a survivor, and eventually, a "thriver.”

"Grief following suicide is compounded,” says Archibald. “This lonely, frightening and extremely painful grief journey is eased within suicide bereavement support groups where peers extend the comfort of "you are not alone", the reinforcement that suicide loss is survivable and encouragement to invest their heartbreak in positive action."

This presentation is part of an educational series supported by the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado. All Educational Sessions are free and open to the public. For more information go to www.suicidepreventioncolorado.org or email Sally Spencer-Thomas (Sally@CarsonJSpencer.org). For more information about the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado, visit www.suicidepreventioncolorado.org, or call 720-352-7505.

 

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About the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado: The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado (SPCC) was formed in 1999, when concerned citizens set out to create a statewide agency with the purpose of preventing suicide and creating a resource network for those who were working to prevent suicide around the state. Today, SPCC’s membership of concerned agencies, organizations and individuals who are working in the areas of suicide prevention, intervention and postvention has statewide reach. The mission of the SPCC is to reduce suicide and its impact for all Coloradans through advocacy, collaboration and education. www.suicidepreventioncolorado.org

10th Annual Shining Lights of Hope Gala for Suicide Prevention

10^th Annual Shining Lights of Hope Gala for Suicide Prevention

Diamond Anniversary Event Celebrates Local and National Leadership

Denver, Colorado. August 4, 2014.  Ten years ago the founders of the Carson J Spencer Foundation (CJSF) had a dream: to elevate the conversation and make suicide prevention a health and safety priority. They began with not much more than a passion to prevent what happened to their beloved friend and family member from happening to others. Today, with a national reach through programs like Man Therapy (using humor to “man up” mental health), Working Minds (suicide prevention in the workplace) and the FIRE Within (youth entrepreneurs preventing suicide), they are known as leaders in innovation in suicide prevention. On August 24^th, 2014 at 5:30pm at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science CJSF will celebrate the 10^th Annual Shining Lights of Hope Gala. At this “blacktie optional” event, they will honor the partnerships and leaders working with them on the mission to save lives. For more information visit: www.CarsonJSpencer.org.

Each year, CJSF celebrates those who have gone above and beyond in their effort to support the cause of suicide prevention and mental health promotion. This year, CJSF will bestow the following awards at their Gala:

·         Shining Light of Hope Award: John Fielder, Nature Photographer

·         Media All-Star: Facebook

·         Volunteer of the Year: Randi Wood, Director of the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program

·         Corporate Shooting Star: Cottrell Printing

·         Social Enterprises of the Year:

o   Mountain Vista High School

o   George Washington High School

The Honorary Chair for the Gala is Larissa Herda, CEO and Chairman of tw telecom; tw telecom is also the Presenting Sponsor. Cynthia James will Emcee and Debbie Stafford will be the auctioneer.

“We are thrilled to have such great support present with us to acknowledge this important milestone and congratulate our honorees,” said Board Co-President Christy Belz.