Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at Martin's West (see directions)

Session I | Session II | Session III

11:00-12:15 - Session I

1. The Role of the Medical Examiner. The Maryland Model.
   David R Fowler, MB, ChB, MMed Path (forensic). FCAP, FAAFS, Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland.
   The presenter will discuss the role of the OCME in the investigation of sudden deaths, the statutory authority and responsibility and the structure of the medical examiner system.
2. Resiliency Across the Lifespan: Building Assets for Lifetime Strength.
   Sandy Queen, BS, Director, Lifeworks.
   Many of the issues we face with our youth today are directly related to the way in which personal strengths have---or have not been developed and fostered throughout the developmental process. This session looks at the process of resilience and asset building from early childhood through youth, based on Sandy’s extensive work with young people around the world over the past 35 years.
3. Suicide in Native America.
   Mary Cwik, PhD, Assistant Scientist, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Center for American Indian Health.
   This presentation will describe the epidemiology of suicide among AIs, and how risk and protective factors in this population compare to other at-risk groups. In addition, culturally acceptable and evidence-based prevention, intervention and postvention approaches will be discussed.
4. Using Data to Tell Victims' Stories.
   Thomas Manion, MA, Project Coordinator, Maryland Violent Death Reporting System (MVDRS), Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
   The general theme will be that each victim of suicide has a story, and we need to turn these stories into usable, scientific data in order to appropriately and effectively monitor trends and guide prevention strategies. Basic demographic and geographic data, while helpful, are not enough on their own. This workshop will also highlight some of the suicide data that the project MVDRS, has collected for Maryland suicide deaths from 2003 through 2009, and make some basic recommendation that we have come up with for suicide prevention and intervention.
5. Ask a Question, Save a Life: Community Based QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) for Youth Suicide Prevention.
   Alli Holstrom, Cerfified QPR Instructor and Kate Mahone, LCPC, Anne Arundel County Youth Suicide Awareness Action Team.
   Between 2009 and 2012, the AA County Youth Suicide Awareness Action Team (YSA) trained over 10,000 educators, parents, coaches, neighbors and youth in the QPR gatekeeper training model. QPR teaches languaging and practical intervention techniques targeted to individuals at-risk for suicide or those expressing suicidal ideation. In this workshop, a full QPR training will be provided, along with an overview of a comprehensive, multi-tiered roll-out plan designed to increase education, raise awareness, and build a common language around suicide prevention and intervention among youth populations.

Session I | Session II | Session III

1. The Effective Use of Emergency Evaluations Petitions in Preventing Suicide.
   Mary T. Witteried, LCPC, Therapist, Montgomery County Crisis Center.
   In Maryland, using an Emergency Evaluation Petition can be an effective tool in preventing a suicide and knowing how to write a compelling EEP can increase the odds of a client being hospitalized for treatment when it is most needed. In this workshop, you will learn the essentials of writing an Emergency Evaluation Petition that is complete, correct and will most likely result in keeping the client safe and getting that person immediate care.
2. The Face of Psychiatry.
   Annette Hanson, MD, Director, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, University of Maryland and Dinah Miller, MD, Psychiatrist, Private Practice.
   This workshop will address the Accessible Psychiatry Project and the use of social media to demystify psychiatric care for the general public, demonstrating how blogs, twitter feeds and discussion groups can inform mental health care when patients can speak freely about their experiences online.
3. Suicide in Later Life.
   Kim Burton, BA, Director, Older Adult Programs, Mental Health Association of Maryland.
   Older Adults have a rate of suicide that is higher than most other populations. A solution to this tragic problem lies in the understanding of complex late life issues and needs. This session will focus on these core issues as well as best practice information and strategies for intervention and prevention.
4. Collaboration Makes the Difference! Mobilization of a Community from a Youth Suicide Contagion Tragedy into Action.
   Lucia Martin, MEd, NBCT, Coordinator of School Counseling, Shira Reicher, Nick Silvestri, Katherine Rovendro and Gwen Harring, Youth Suicide Awareness Team of Anne Arundel County.
   This workshop provides a description of how a community, under the auspices of the Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention grant, joined together to address a youth suicide contagion. Participants will understand how a large school system, health department and community agencies can partner to address this issue.
5. Online Crisis Intervention.
   Tim Jansen, LGSW, Executive Director, Community Crisis Services.
   There are numerous ways for people in crisis or facing suicide to connect to services. Online crisis intervention is one of the newer tools. This workshop will explore online crisis intervention.

Session I | Session II | Session III

3:00-4:15 - Session III

1. The Ripple Effect of Suicide: Stories From Survivors.
   Lisa Hurka-Covington, Founder/Executive Director of SPEAK. Donna Curley, Ed Kittrell, H. Reese Butler and Ron Waltemeyer.
   Suicide has no boundaries. Panelists share personal stories of losing a loved one to suicide.
2. Resilience: Having a Sense of Hope and Optimism for the Future.
   Joan B. Smith, LCSW, Program Administrator, Mental Hygiene Administration, Kevin Mason, MA, MS, Assistant Director, Catholic Charities and Sheila Philips, JD, Provider Relations Director, Maryland Choices.
   Resilience is the ability to positively adapt to change, stress and adversity. This workshop will focus on skill development from a strength based perspective. Often youth in distress find it difficult to see how the future can be different, or that their lives have purpose or meaning. The workshop will also discuss the core concepts of resilience and how they can be used to promote wellness and positive mental health.
3. Suicide Risk Reduction in the Prision/Jail Population.
   Stephen B. Goldberg, MD, Executive Vice President, Conmed Healthcare Management.
   This workshop will help you understand the following: the impact incarceration can have on an individual’s behavior, reasoning and perceptions and how it may impact suicidality; the factors that increase an individual’s risk of suicide in a jail setting; Identify key issues in the psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment of patients in the correctional setting.
4. Preventing Suicide Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Youth.
   Jean-Michel Brevelle, Sexual Minorities Program Manager, Center for HIV Prevention and Health Services, Infectious Disease Bureau, Prevention and Health Promotion Administration, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
   The presenter will discuss social determinants that increase suicide vulnerability among LGBT youth and strategies to strengthen resilience, and present some recent resources/tools for LGBT competent interventions for youth.
5. Good Behavior Game.
   Holly Wilcox, PhD, Sheppard Kellam, MD, Nicholas Ialongo, PhD.
   The underlying principles of the Good Behavior Game (GBG) stem from studies that have been done in behavior theory and behavior observations over the past thirty years. In this workshop Sheppard Kellam will provide a description of the Good Behavior Game (GBG) as well as a brief overview of GBG first generation findings. Nicholas Ialongo will provide a description of the second generation GBG findings and an overview of current GBG projects in Maryland. Holly Wilcox will present the long-term impact of the GBG on suicide ideation and attempt.

Session I | Session II | Session III