Lunch and Learn: Listening, the Power Tool for Preventing Suicide

5821 South Anthony Boulevard,Fort Wayne IN 46816

28 September, 2021

Description

Compassionate listening is a powerful tool to preventing suicide. Listening: The Power Tool for Preventing Suicide The goal of suicide prevention is to help someone with thoughts of suicide get help so that they don't die by suicide. This goal of preventing death strongly impacts how we help and more specifically, listen. In many cases, once a person answers yes to the question about suicide thoughts helpers move on to referral to resources, forgetting how powerful and important it is for the person with thoughts of suicide to be heard. To mark suicide prevention month, participants will gain a new appreciation of what people having thoughts of suicide need from helpers and how to provide that. Objectives: By the end of the presentation, participants will: • Receive a brief refresher on suicide prevention • Review common missteps in suicide prevention • Build a new appreciation for the power of listening in preventing suicide Details: Date: September 28, 2021 Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm Location: The League, 5821 S Anthony Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN 46816 CEUs: 1.0 About the Speaker Colleen Carpenter, MA, MPH, provides evidence-based training and targeted consultation to build long term capacity to prevent suicide. Her mission is to help organizations and communities tighten their safety nets so that people who are struggling with suicide and mental health challenges are identified and helped. Besides providing training, she is the facilitator of Stop Suicide Northeast Indiana, board chair of the Indiana Suicide Prevention Network, and over the last three years spearheaded the Sources of Strength initiative in schools throughout northeast Indiana. She sits on numerous local and state level suicide and mental health-related committees. She has master’s degrees from Loyola University Chicago (sociology) and the University of North Carolina (public health). She has won local and national awards for her work in suicide prevention. She is also a survivor of her Uncle John’s suicide. Founded in 1954, Mental Health America of Northeast Indiana promotes the mental and emotional health of our community by offering advocacy, education, support services, and hope. In any given year, 1 in 5 American adults will experience a mental health condition. MHANI understands that these conditions are life-altering, recurring and can cause hopelessness, but MHANI firmly believes that recovery is possible for everyone. By providing advocacy, education, and support services, MHANI intends to inspire hope in community members facing a mental health, substance use, or disability challenge.   Disclaimer: Mental Health America of Northeast Indiana is a non-profit organization that provides information on mental health resources and educational programs. MHANI events do not provide medical advice and are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.