#BeThe1To START the Conversation: Campus Suicide Prevention
Duration: 1 hour
Facilitator: Michelle Bangen and Charlette Lumby
Price: $50.00
Overview:
What keeps you up at night? This is the question I’ve asked many student affairs professionals who, even in pre-pandemic times, were increasingly concerned about the state of mental health for students on campus. With counseling centers running at max capacity, students experiencing higher levels of anxiety and depression, and increased cases of suicide deaths on campuses across the country, many administrators are left trying to solve the impossible equation of how to meet the students’ increasingly complex needs. In our new, ever-changing, COVID-induced reality, these concerns have only intensified; and many more challenges have emerged due to the more remote (or at least physically distanced) nature of campus life.
Yet, there is hope. Suicide is one of the most preventable causes of death, and anyone can save a life. In fact, the more people who are equipped with skills to spot warning signs of distress, and who are willing to ask the difficult question, the greater the safety net we can build for those struggling with thoughts of suicide. This two-part training offers an introduction to skills that help recognize the signs of suicide and referral to appropriate supports, a chance to explore nuanced scenarios that student affairs professional and student staff may regularly encounter, and recommendations for creating a network of safety and integrated approach to suicide prevention. Submit specific scenarios or questions in advance, and during part two the presenters will try to address as many of these as possible.
Brief Outline
Part 1: LivingWorks START online suicide prevention training - 60-90 min.
Simply complete START prior to the part-two webinar. [Each registration receives one free link to the training. Additional participants would need to purchase access to the training at a $20 charge (this is a discounted rate available through Oct. 31. On Nov. 1, additional START courses will cost $50).]
Complete the highly individualized, evidence-based LivingWorks START program. Learn a simple framework that will help you identify individuals with thoughts of suicide, intervene with compassion and poise, and connect them to the care and support that they need. Explore a variety of scenarios addressing personal and professional settings across the lifespan through interactive video simulations, texting exercises, and audio recording/playing back your own interventions. Gain lifetime access to course content, helping resources, and the LivingWorks Connect online platform.
Part 2: Webinar - 60 min.
Join co-founders of Incite Agency for Change, Michelle Bangen and Charlette Lumby, for a deeper dive into your Student Affairs world. Gain confidence in using the framework and tools learned in part one. Discuss campus-specific scenarios. Discover ways to create a network of safety on campus and build a scaffolded approach to prevention. Consider how to integrate suicide prevention with broader campus prevention efforts. Collect more valuable resources to support your work.
Learning Outcomes:
- Gain skills to identify individuals with thoughts of suicide
- Practice intervening with compassion and poise
- Learn resources to connect individuals to safety planning and support
- Explore campus-specific scenarios
- Discover ways to create a network of safety on campus
- Consider how to integrate suicide prevention with broader campus prevention efforts
Who Should Attend:
- This webinar is designed for all levels of staff working within Student Affairs, including student staff, but may be especially helpful for:
- Anyone working directly with students who could be in crisis (e.g. advocacy centers, dean of students, student conduct, etc.)
- Anyone likely to connect with students who might be in distress (e.g. residence hall staff, academic support staff, athletic support staff, health center staff, fraternity & sorority advisors, student organization advisors, and student activities/campus life staff)
- Health promotion and campus prevention practitioners
Presenters:
Michelle Bangen, MPH, CHES, co-founder of the Incite Agency for Change, is a health promotion and violence prevention practitioner with over a decade of higher education experience. She has developed award-winning prevention programs and is a certified LivingWorks ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) trainer. Michelle has developed comprehensive, multi-initiative programs and presented to a wide range of audiences on topics including mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and sexual violence prevention, among others. She has helped establish and support campus and community-wide coalitions to apply evidence-based, research-informed public health strategies and build capacity for prevention efforts. Michelle is a seasoned and engaging presenter who has delivered trainings to many student affairs and campus professionals as well as student populations. She has established department-wide and cohort type trainings as a subject matter expert, and has supported colleagues across the country through leadership roles with ACHA (American College Health Association), CAPPA (Campus Advocates and Prevention Professionals Association), and through NASPA, ACHA, and other national professional conferences.
Charlette Lumby, RN, CCRN, co-founder of the Incite Agency for Change, has spent 14 years working as a medical, surgical, trauma and cardiac ICU nurse, providing holistic care and education to patients and families at the most vulnerable moments in their lives - after being impacted by any number of preventable circumstances. As the Trauma Injury Prevention Coordinator for Salem Health, Charlette is responsible for the development and oversight of a comprehensive trauma prevention program to reduce death and injury by providing community education and raising public awareness on a range of trauma and injury prevention topics. She provides education on mental health, suicide prevention, substance use/abuse, and more to students and district staff in K-12 schools; court-mandated courses for county courts and juvenile detention centers; and she is a certified LivingWorks ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) trainer. She is an energetic and engaging presenter known for her compassion and the safe space she creates in her trainings. She uses safe messaging to share some of her own lived experiences and aims to break the silence on suicide.