Kevin’s Song 9th Annual Conference on Suicide:
Creating and Supporting Lives Worth Living.
WHEN: Conference January 23-25, 2025
WHERE: St. John’s Resort located at 44045 Five Mile Rd. in Plymouth
WHO’S INVITED:
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Psychologists / Social Workers / Licensed Counselors
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Physicians / Nurses / Medical Professionals
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Educators / Teachers / School Administrators
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Crisis Center Workers
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First Responders / Law Enforcement / Firefighters
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Policymakers / Legislators
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Loss Survivors / People with Lived Experience
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Employers / Human Resource Professionals
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Veterans and Veteran Support Groups
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Parents / Family Members
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Members of the General Public
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Professional Trainees and Students
The three-day conference will bring together educators, mental health professionals, professional trainees and students, business and community leaders as well as members of the public, survivors of suicide loss, and attempt survivors.
The 9th annual Kevin’s Song Conference on Suicide is designed to raise awareness about suicide and its impact, as well as highlight the importance of suicide prevention and risk mitigation as a collective responsibility to support the safety and well being of our communities. Suicide prevention is very focused on those who have died, those we have lost. This is an important focus, and we need to acknowledge these losses. But we also need suicide prevention to focus on the living as a poignant reminder of the importance of fostering a compassionate and supportive society.
From January 23-25, 2023, numerous organizations, health professionals and communities will come together to shed light on signs, symptoms and strategies to prevent suicide and to support and foster lives worth living. The 2025 Kevin Song Conference on Suicide will ask:
- Are we purposely creating cultures that promote living?
- Are we actively trying to create lives filled with hope, connection, purpose, and possibility?
- In essence, are we helping all of our community members to have lives worth living?
The speakers and presentations will address all aspects of this public health crisis in an effort to better understand and prevent suicide. The mission of the 9th annual Kevin’s Song Conference on Suicide is to break down the barriers; to build pathways to better models of prevention and treatment; and to create and support lives worth living.
PRE-CONFERENCE TRAINING – Wednesday, January 22, 2025
safeTALK
LivingWorks safeTALK is a four-hour training that equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. You will learn how to reach out to someone thinking about suicide and help them keep safe by using a simple and effective model and promptly connecting them to further support. Sponsored by Sacred Bundle @ American Indian Health and Family Services
Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR)
AMSR’s research-informed risk formulation model helps health and behavioral health professionals feel confident navigating challenging conversations and offers key strategies for providing compassionate care to people at risk for suicide. Authorized expert trainers lead the one-day AMSR training, teaching professionals and clinicians essential skills through videos, live demonstrations, and paired and written practice. Sponsored by Hope Network
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18. Sponsored by Hope Network
QPR Training (Question, Persuade and Refer)
Like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world. Sponsored by Hope Network
CAMS Training
CAMS, the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality, is an evidence-based suicide-specific clinical intervention that has been shown through extensive research to effectively assess, treat and manage suicidal patients in a wide range of clinical settings. Supported by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
This training is funded, in part, by cooperative agreement H79SM090028 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMS
CONFERENCE DAY 1
Youth Mental Health and School Summit – Thursday, January 23, 2025
The first day of this bold and comprehensive conference will focus on integrating schools, youth-serving organizations and clinicians to promote Suicide Prevention and mental well-being. Presentations will appeal to educators, mental health professionals and suicide prevention advocates who work with young people to build awareness and to share prevention strategies that are tailored to this diverse population.
Thursday Keynote Presentations:
- Charisse Nixon, PhD, Pennsylvania State University, The Behrend College, Director of PA Aggression Reduction Center (PARC) – Building Resilience–Changing our Culture One Person at a Time
- Kevin Fischer, Executive Director, NAMI Michigan and CEO of EVERYBODY -VS- STIGMA – EVERYBODY-VS-STIGMA: Pain into POWER
- Brett Harris PhD, Senior research scientist in the Public Health department at NORC – University of Chicago – Supporting the Mental Wellbeing of LGBTQIA2S+ Youth: Strategies and Resources for Creating Safe and Affirming Schools and Communities.
- Nicole Runyon, LMSW – Free To Fly: The Secret To Fostering Independence In The Next Generation.
Thursday Breakout Presentations:
- Trish Brown, LPC, Therapist, Ellie Mental Health – Clarkston – Wellness Nuggets: easy, intentional, and effective calming and coping skills.
- Kristyn Gregory, DO, Medical Director of Behavioral Health, BCBSM – Teen Girls are Facing Record Levels of Sadness, Here’s Why
- Catherine Livingston, MA, LPC, District Wellness Consultant and Kimberly Twarowski, Counselor – Utica Schools – Build a Positive Culture and Connections in School to Strengthen Youth Suicide Protective Factors
- Sarah Emmerson, MA, LLP and Nicole Runyon, LMSW – Building Confident and Resilient Kids With Bright Futures
- Christine Kuhl, LLP, School Psychologist, Grosse Pointe North High School, Lyn Adolfo, SEL Specialist, Redford Union High School and Christina Harvey, Health Curriculum Consultant, Oakland County Schools – Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Programs: A Panel Discussion
- Domonique Anderson, LLP, MA – Suffering in Silence – Instilling Confidence in Youth
- Erik Kramer, Former NFL Quarterback, Detroit Lions, Mental Health Touchdown and EK Pass, Founder – Breaking the Silence: A Journey of Resilience and Mental Health Advocacy
- Danielle Sackrider, LMSW, Suicide Prevention Coordinator and Trainer at Integrated Services of Kalamazoo – Supporting Youth After a Trauma
CONFERENCE DAY 2
Creating Cultures and Lives Worth Living – Friday, January 24, 2025
The second day of the Conference will include an array of powerful presentations that engage clinicians and suicide prevention advocates to enhance their knowledge and skills to engage people to live their best lives and prevent suicide. Attendees will hear the latest in research about suicide and risk assessment as well as evidenced-based treatments and prevention strategies to better serve individuals and communities at risk.
Friday Keynote Presentations:
- Bart Andrews, PhD, Behavioral Health Response (BHR) – Chief Clinical Officer – Lives Worth Living: A New Approach To Suicide Prevention
- Shireen Rizvi, PhD, ABPP, professor and Chair of the Department of Clinical Psychology in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP), Rutgers University – Building Lives Worth Living by Increasing Access to Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Joyce Chu, PhD – Director of Community Connections and Professor, Palo Alto University will address Changing the Culture of Suicide Prevention to Support Our Diverse Communities
- Thomas Joiner, PhD, The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Florida State University and Nancy Buyle, MA, LPC, ACTP, School Safety/Student Assistance Consultant, Macomb Intermediate School District, Co-Chair, Michigan Suicide Prevention Commission – Let’s Talk: Evidenced-Based Suicide Risk Assessment.
Friday Breakout Presentations:
- Lisa Wexler, PhD, MSW and Elizabeth Evans, PhD, MSW, University of Michigan – Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide (PC CARES) is a community health intervention designed, supported, and implemented by the remote communities of northwestern Alaska
- Jennifer Johnson, DEI Chair/Board Member AFSP Michigan – E.T.S. Save Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for Black and African American Communities
- Gregory Flynn, West Bloomfield Fire Department, Chief – Supporting Lives Worth Living in the First Responder Community
- Dennis Gillan, Mental Health Advocate, Speaker, and Author – Gratitude and attitude. Thanks for all that you, and I have a favor…
- Maryann Duchene, RN, MSN, Director Behavioral Health Services, Trinity Health – Suicide in the Construction Industry: Let’s Talk: Better Yet Let’s Listen
- Kiersten Gutherman, LMSW and Sara Kadish Beckett, LLMSW, CNS Healthcare – Reframing Recovery: Finding Hope and Growth in the Process
- Dustin Ames, CEO, Beaumont Behavioral Health, Dearborn – Demystifying Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment
- Gigi Colombini, LMSW, Owner, Psychotherapist and Suicidologist, Institute of Health and Human Flourishing – Shared Struggles, Unique Paths: Understanding and Preventing Suicide Among Adolescents, White Males, Military Personnel, and Indigenous Communities to Inform Clinical Treatment of Suicide
TRAINING FOR FAITH LEADERS AND FAITH ADVOCATES – Friday, January 24, 2025
Attendance at this day long training is limited to faith leaders and faith advocates and requires a separate registration.
To equip faith leaders and faith advocates with the capabilities needed to prevent suicide, combat stigma, and provide care and comfort to all those affected by suicide, Kevin’s Song and its partners are offering a workshop and training: A Light in the Darkness: Equipping Faith Leaders for Suicide Prevention and Post-Suicide Care, on Friday, January 24, 2025. This program will run concurrently with the 9th Annual Kevin’s Song Conference on Suicide.
We have engaged an experienced team of spiritually inspired suicide prevention advocates to conduct this program. Glen Bloomstrom, Director, Faith Community Engagement at LivingWorks Education, Melinda Moore, PhD, Licensed psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Eastern Kentucky University and Rabbi Dan Roberts, rabbi emeritus of Temple Emanu El, Cleveland, Ohio. The program will be moderated by Barb Smith, Founder and Executive Director of The Barb Smith Suicide Resource and Response Network. This team has a wealth of experience in suicide prevention and have frequently collaborated on these clergy training sessions with a focus on the faith perspective.
The morning workshop is designed to discuss:
- The role of faith leaders in suicide prevention
- The essential competencies for faith leaders in their role of supporting lives worth living
- How to work collaboratively to save lives and support suicide survivors.
The afternoon will feature a safeTALK Training that will teach faith leaders to recognize and engage persons who might be having thoughts of suicide and connect them with community resources trained in suicide intervention.
In the alternative, attendees can opt for a Postvention Training that will focus on the care of those left behind following a suicide and providing faith leaders with the resources and guidance they need to foster hope and healing in their community.
Attendance at this day long training is limited to faith leaders and faith advocates and requires a separate registration.
This safeTALK and Faith Leader training is supported by MDHHS’s Preventing Suicide in Michigan Men Program, which receives 100 percent of it’s funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $870,000. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
CONFERENCE DAY 3
JOURNEY OF HEALING AND HOPE – Saturday, January 25, 2025
The focus of the Saturday program is on survivors of suicide. The stories of loss survivor, Dennis Gillan and Dennis Liegghio will help to ease the pain for those who often suffer alone and in silence. A panel of survivors of suicide, moderated by Susanna Rickman, will share how they have navigated their loss. Gwen Kapcia will address how to manage grief and offer hope to those who have suffered a loss and those who love and support them.
Following the survivor presentations, attendees will have an opportunity to meet privately in group support sessions facilitated by mental health professionals or attend a grief workshop facilitated by Jane Reiter, BFA, MFA.
MEMORIAL FOREST
The MEMORIAL FOREST was created for the Kevin’s Song Fourth Annual Conference on Suicide to help us remember and honor some of the people who have died by suicide and to offer solace to those who were left behind. This Memorial Forest, which will be a virtual respite during the 2022 Conference of Suicide and School Summit, is made possible through the many generous donations to Kevin’s Song in memory of Adam Elbadawi.
Since 2020, Kevin’s Song has collected over 600 names in memory of a loved one lost to suicide or to honor a survivor, and have inscribed the names on a Kevin’s Song bird which decorated the trees during the recent conference.
Training and Awareness on Suicide from Kevin’s Song
As a community of health care professionals and educators, we all have T.A.S.K.S. to do in order to help save lives and prevent suicide whenever possible.
While the field of suicidology is not an exact science, and it is difficult to predict who will end their lives, we are amassing more and more scientific, evidence-based information that can help put a stop to such tragic losses in our communities.
This Recognition is something extra we are providing to qualifying attendees at our annual Kevin’s Song Conference on Suicide. The Conference on Suicide offerS a comprehensive program of educational sessions that focus on suicide.
Kevin’s Song will send the certificate to you after the conference.
To Become Qualified for T.A.S.K.S. Recognition:
- You must be a licensed health care professional or educator.
- You will be required to attend every PLENARY SESSION.
- At least two (2) Breakout sessions each day of the 2-Day Conference.
- You must complete and submit session evaluations for each session and the post event feedback form you will receive by email after the conference.
- You must also complete and submit the TASKS form which will be emailed to you following the Conference.
