Maryland’s 31st​ Annual Suicide Prevention Conference​​

Any questions related to payment contact: Monay Walton, mwalton@som.umaryland.edu

​Wednesday, October 2​, 2019

Session I | Session II | Session III

11:00-12:00 - Session I

1. Save a Shore Farmer – A Campaign of Outreach to Farmers & Farm Families
   Ronald Pilling, Secretary/Treasurer, Jesse Klump Memorial Fund, Inc.; Kim A. Klump, President, Jesse Klump Memorial Fund, Certified Suicide Grief Counselor, and Survivor of Suicide Loss; Jackie Ward, Health Planner II, Worcester County Health Department
   In 2018, the CDC reported that farmers are 3 times more likely to die by suicide than those in other occupations. There are many reasons contributing to the high suicide rate among farmers: financial stress, living in under-served, isolated rural areas, widespread firearm ownership, and stigma. "Save a Shore Farmer" is a campaign launched on Maryland's lower Eastern Shore with the goal of successful outreach to farmers about mental health and suicide awareness.
2. Assessing Mental Health Needs in the Black Church
   William T. Powell, Doctoral Candidate for Mental Health Ministry, Commissioner, Governor's Commission on Suicide Prevention; Naomi B. Powell, Suicide Prevention Advocate, Certified Grief Counselor, National Organization for People of Color Against Suicide
   Many churches provide financial assistance, transportation services and even health care screenings to their congregants. Unique factors such as locating and affording mental health services, trust, cultural attitudes and faith beliefs can be barriers to receiving mental health help. For this reason, the church, as part of the community, has to examine the total needs of its congregants before it can serve as an effective agent to help resolve community mental health issues.
   
3. Perceptions of Familial Support Around Suicidal Crises
   Taylor M. Binnix, MA, Student, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
   Modern suicidologists have noted a dearth of qualitative research on suicide, and The Way Forward called for more research that includes voices of those who have lived experience. After interviewing formerly suicidal adults, findings suggest that the stigma, silence, and misunderstandings around suicidality are perceived as some of the most formidable barriers that preclude a suicidal individual from receiving help and that the role of family members is pivotal to the outcomes of suicidal experiences.
4. Online Interactions and Suicide: It’s More than Social Media
   Rachel Larkin, MA, MSW, Director, Crisis Prevention and Intervention Services, EveryMind; Kirsten Robinette, Online Emotional Support Specialist, EveryMind
   In an increasingly interconnected and online world, it is important to understand the effect of viewing online content related to suicide. While social media has been infamous for negative effects on mental well-being, a large facet of online interactions have gone widely unstudied for their impact on mental health - online streaming communities. Due to the conversational style that many streamers and channels adopt, viewers often use this platform as a place to discuss mental health and may be an area where other viewers will, intentionally or unintentionally, be exposed to content relating to suicide and mental health issues.
5. Loneliness and Social Isolation: Risk Factors for Suicide
   Jennifer Treger, MS, Director, Mental Health First Aid Maryland, Mental Health Association of Maryland, Commissioner, Governor’s Commission on Suicide Prevention; Kim Burton, Director, Older Adults Programs, Mental Health Association
   A 2018 study of more than 20,000 Americans found that nearly half of adults report sometimes or always feeling alone or left out. In addition, Generation Z (ages 18-22) is now considered "the loneliest generation." In this interactive workshop we will explore data about the increase in loneliness and social isolation, share why these are risk factors for suicide and how social media might be contributing to the increases, and discuss prevention strategies to help people of all ages.
6. Unifying Immigrant Families for Youth Suicide Prevention
   Monica Guerrero Vazquez, MPH, MS, Executive Director, Centro SOL Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Rheanna Platt, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Holly Wilcox, PhD, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Kiara Alvarez, PhD, Research Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital
   Twenty-five percent of the U.S. population under 18 is comprised of 1st generation (foreign-born) and second-generation youth. There is an urgency to develop preventive interventions that address risk factors experienced by first and second generation immigrant youth. A multidisciplinary team came together in 2018 to promote an emergency response to an uptick of suicide cases and suicide ideation among Latinx youth, launching community-centered conversatorios to provide local resources to immigrant-origin youth and their families to address mental health issues. This emergency response brought together the team who designed a study to generate data to inform future interventions and policies.
   

Session I | Session II | Session III

​2:15-3:15 - Sessi​on II

1. Urban Voices: Guidance on Treatment of Urban Native Americans
   Dustin Tyee Richardson, LCPC, Clinical Director, Native American LifeLines and Commissioner, Governor’s Commission on Suicide Prevention
   Attendees will develop an understanding of working with urban Native American populations, comprehend the current Native community's struggles with suicide, and learn how to become a partner to develop strategies to prevent suicide of Native Americans.
2. How the Church Can Partner with the Community
   Kevin Wayne Johnson, Pastor and Faith Leader, Commissioner, Governor’s Commission on Suicide Prevention
   Learn key strategies and steps in leading your congregation and community with knowledge, understanding and empathy about the subject of suicide prevention. This workshop will expose you to the reasons why the church should be more actively involved as an advocate and create environments for awareness, prayer, service and help. Victims, and their families, may seek alternative ways to solve their problems if they knew that they can reach out to a local neighborhood church without fear of judgment, ridicule or shame.
3. Human Sex Trafficking: Behavioral Health Issues and Treatment Recommendations
   Chelsea Haverly, LCSW-C, Co-Owner, Anchored Hope Therapy
   This workshop will focus on enhancing participants understanding of the mental health risks, psychological, behavioral, and physical indicators that are associated with human trafficking. This session will focus on therapeutic interventions and community collaborations to address safety, build rapport, and provide a trauma-informed framework to work effectively with clients that may have the potential to be involved, may be currently involved or have previously been involved in "the life."
4. Engaging Peers in Suicide Prevention Training: A Peer Ambassador Approach in High Schools
   Dr. Jackie Douge, Director of Bureau of Child Health, Howard County; Nancy Lever, PhD, Co-Director of the National Center for School Mental Health and Larraine Bernstein, MS, Outreach and Training Program Manager, Maryland Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Network, University of Maryland, School of Medicine
   Presenters will detail a Peer Ambassador program in Howard County Public Schools designed to increase mental health awareness and promote suicide prevention in high school settings. The goal of this program is to train high school students to share information about mental health awareness and to recognize when a peer might be displaying symptoms of psychological distress and know how to reach out and connect the peer with an appropriate and supportive adult.
5. Different Cultural Perspectives Around Suicide and Its Prevention
   Mirian Ofonedu, PhD, LCSW-C, Director of Training, Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger; Gazi Azad, PhD, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Kennedy Krieger Institute; Olufunke Pickering, MD, MBA, FAAP, Senior Medial Advisor, Baltimore City Health Department, Xueqi Qu, MBBS, Wendy Klag Center Scholar, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
   Community resilience suggests a process rooted in cultural values and practices in which the human context of culture, community, kinship, and family are nested levels of influence shaping protection from suicide. Promoting cultural resources for health, wellness and resilience at both individual and community levels may help with suicide prevention. This multi-disciplinary team panel discussion will provide a unique opportunity for participants to share and learn about different cultural perspectives around suicide and its prevention.
   

Session I | Session II | Session III

3:30 - 4:30​ - Session III

1. Responding to Mental Health Issues in Older Adults
   Stephen Goldberg, MD, Clinical Consultant/Developer, Mental Health Association of Maryland
   The Engage with Older Adults training program focuses on how to engage in healthy working/caring relationships with older adults throughout all stages and conditions associated with aging. “Responding to Mental Health Issues in Older Adults” presents key aspects of the "engage with" approach to ego preservation, how to use this approach to identify suicide risk factors and specific strategies for prevention, early intervention and reducing resistance to care in those with behavioral health issues.
    
   2. Postvention as Prevention: Supporting Suicide Loss Survivors
   Sarah Montgomery, LCSW-C, Clinical Therapist, Chesapeake Life Center; Amy Stapleton, MS, LCPC, Counselor and Bereavement Manager, Chesapeake Life Center
   This workshop will address how suicide postvention is a crucial component of suicide prevention. Research indicates that the response to grief, trauma and distress after a suicide loss impacts the well-being of those left behind and can heighten or lessen vulnerabilities to a myriad of mental health issues. At the conclusion of this workshop, care providers will have basic understanding of challenges and lessons of suicide loss, grief, and best practices to support and guide families.
    
   3. Maryland’s Extreme Risk Protective Order Law: A New Tool for Preventing Suicide
   Shannon Frattaroli, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Josh Horwitz, JD, Executive Director of the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence
   On October 1, 2018, Maryland’s Extreme Risk Protective Order (ERPO) law took effect. This law authorizes law enforcement, clinicians, and family members to petition the court to request that individuals who are behaving dangerously and at risk of committing harm to themselves or others be temporarily prohibited from purchasing and possessing guns. We will discuss the details of this law, the experiences of other states with similar laws, and the implications for suicide prevention in Maryland.
    
   4. Partnership Between Crisis Centers & First Responders
   Tina Field, BSW, Hotline Manager, Grassroots Crisis Intervention; Katie Dant, LCSW-C, Assistant Director of Crisis Services, Grassroots Crisis Intervention; Amy Miller, LCSW-C, Mobile Crisis Lead Clinician, Grassroots Crisis Intervention
   Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center has been deeply involved in working with first responders to promote understanding of mental illness and suicide prevention. These partnerships help reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, better link citizens to appropriate services within their community, and promote trust and help-seeking behaviors of people in crisis. The time and training spent building these relationships has been with the goal of increasing personal wellness, connectedness, and safety within the first responder population.
    
   5. Trauma in the Lives of Gang Involved Youth
   Frank Clark, Retired Deputy Director of Entrance Level Training, Department of Juvenile Services; Letitia McMillion, Training Administrator, Department of Juvenile Services
   While youth involved in gangs comprise only a small portion of the adolescent population, gang membership is a significant threat to youth health and well-being in the U.S.; specifically their mental and emotional health. According to research, 90% of youth in juvenile detention facilities have experienced at least 1 traumatic event. Youth involved in gangs are more likely to have mental health issues such as PTSD, depression, suicidal behavior, and trauma. This session will explore the impact of gang culture on youth and youth mental health.
    
   6. More Than Sad
   Kat Olbrich, Maryland/Delaware Area Director, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
   More Than Sad has taught over a million students and educators how to be smart about mental health. The program comes in three parts and helps to initiate a conversation about mental health with teens, parents and school staff. The program helps teens identify signs of depression in themselves and others and teaches parents and educators how to identify depression in teens, initiate a conversation, and refer them to mental health support. Learn more about how the More than Sad program can be implemented at middle and high schools.​
   

Session I | Session II | Session III​​​