Presentation: Suicide slipped into the top ten as far as causes of death in the United States (according to the CDC). Deaths among school-aged children and teens continue to be on the rise; so much so, that suicide has statistically risen to the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34. Suicide traumatizes those
Presenting in Kansas City Vicky Ward is a MO Advanced Prevention Specialist and serves as Manager of Prevention Services at Tri-County Mental Health Services, Inc. She received her MA in Sociology and has worked in the prevention field for 25 years. Vicky’s prevention efforts have been built around the founding of community prevention organizations, environmental
Presenting in Kansas City Sherri Miller is the Youth Prevention Specialist at Tri-County Mental Health Services. She received her Doctorate of Education in Teaching and Leadership from the University of Kansas and served 30 years as a teacher and administrator in the public school systems in Missouri, retiring in 2017. Her passion has always been
Presenting in Kansas City Cathy Blanch is the Youth Behavioral Health Liaison at Tri-County Mental Health Services in the Northland covering the counties of Clay, Platte and Ray. In her capacity with the SAMHSA grant, Cathy works directly with youth up through the age of 24 who are experiencing suicidal thoughts or who have had a
Presenting in Kansas City Steve Arkin is a staff neurologist with Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute, Saint Lukes Hospital System in Kansas City, Missouri and an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City. He is the co-founder of SPEAK UP a suicide prevention education and awareness for kids united as partners. Teen Suicide –
Presenting in Kansas City Kirsti Millar is the Suicide Prevention Liaison at ReDiscover where she coordinates the Show Me Zero Youth Suicide Grant which serves clients ages 10-24. She has dynamic experience in crisis work and has utilized her creativity in program expansion and client engagement at ReDiscover for three years. She has five years
Presenting in Kansas City Margo Leitschuh is the Communications Coordinator for Missouri Partners in Prevention. Margo has been with Partners in Prevention for a little over one year and works with statewide programs related to impaired driving, suicide prevention, collegiate recovery programs, and more. Margo can be contacted at leitschuhm@missouri.edu or at 573-882-9335. Evidence-Based Strategies
Presenting in Kansas City Katie Ellison recently worked as a Student Assistance Coordinator in a school district in rural Northeast Wyoming. During the last six of her ten years with the district, 15 current and former students died by suicide. Finding themselves in a center of community wide suicide contagion the school district and the
Presenting in Columbia James M. Smith, MEd, LPC, NCC currently works at Lincoln University of Missouri in Jefferson City as the director of Student Health and Wellness Services. He began his counseling career working in addictions, and has worked in various addiction and mental health treatment settings for more than 10 years. Jamie (as most
Presenting in Columbia Ryan Lindsay’s career has focused on training new and experienced providers in various evidence-based treatments, consulting with organizations on how to implement evidence-based programs, and aiding organizations in program development utilizing evidence-based principles. At the Brown School, he chairs teaches and advises students within the Mental Health concentration in the Master of
Presenting in Kansas City Description: Lindsey Doolittle is a speaker, author, and suicide loss survivor. After her late husband, Sgt. Brett Doolittle of the Kansas City Kansas police department, ended his life in 2015 she chose to turn his suicide into something open, honest, and good. She fully believes that postvention is prevention and openly
Presenting in Kansas City Kim Shaw-Ellis has worked in law enforcement for more than 30 years. She joined the Kansas City Police Department in 1998. She has worked in the East, Central and North Patrol Divisions, Violent Crimes Division and as an instructor for the KC Missouri Regional Police Academy. Currently, she is the Diversity
Presenting in Kansas City Laine Young-Walker, MD is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General Psychiatry as well as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She currently serves as Associate Dean for Student Programs at the School of Medicine, the Division Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and is an Associate Professor
Presenting in Columbia and Kansas City Elizabeth Makulec Executive Director – KUTO, Kids Under Twenty One safeTALK is a half-day training course that can help you make a difference. Know what to do if someone’s suicidal by following the easy to remember TALK steps – Tell, Ask, Listen and Keep-safe. These practical steps offer immediate
Presenting in Columbia and Kansas City Reconnecting with your Unconquerable Spirit Shelby Rowe is the youth suicide prevention program manager for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuses Services, and the 2016 Chickasaw Nation Dynamic Woman of the Year. A public health professional, crisis intervention expert and suicide attempt survivor, Ms. Rowe has
Presenting in Columbia, Kansas City and St. Louis Youth Suicide Prevention: Changes in Thinking and Tailored Interventions Bill Geis, PhD is a clinical psychologist in Kansas City, MO. He specializes in clinical psychology. Upon completion of this workshop participants will be able to…. 1) state changes in current youth suicide prevention thinking, including the difference between
