Youth Suicide Prevention: Using the Media to Begin the Conversation September 20, 2017

It seems like the talk of suicide is everywhere – the news, Netflix, social media, even your own emails! September is suicide prevention month as well as the beginning of the school year. We know you will have a lot going on. But please join us for a special forum to “begin the conversation!”

Depictions of suicide in the media during the last few months have certainly caught our attention. Great! But what can you do about it? What is your role in helping to prevent suicide? How do you begin the conversation with young people? What should you say and what should you not say? Are their specific “signs” when you should bring up the conversation and directly ask about suicide? How do we deal with our own feelings about the topic? Maybe a child has approached you about another student or a friend, what should we do or say? We may have a lot of questions – but it can be hard to find practical answers.
The SRF Suicide Prevention Research and Training Project at Monmouth University will be hosting a special forum, Youth Suicide Prevention: Using the Media to Begin the Conversation. Dr. Victor Schwartz, medical director of the Jed Foundation and co-creator of the talking points around the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, as well as several other mental health professionals with years of suicide prevention experience will provide answers to the questions you’ve got on your mind – and prepare you to handle the questions you haven’t even thought of yet!

There is no fee to attend this forum, which is open to anyone who has interaction with youth (i.e. parents, coaches, school personnel and mental health professionals, clergy)! Please join us for this important forum on September 20. We are all in this together!

*Please be sure to register no later than September 10, 2017