Conference Day 1 – Thursday Only

Bart Andrews, PhD, Chair, Missouri Suicide Prevention Network Let the Pieces Fit: Looking at Suicide through a Belonging Lens

Dr. Perlis is the Director of the Center for Quantitative Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Chief for Research in the Department of Psychiatry. He is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Associate Editor (Neuroscience) at JAMA’s new open-access journal, JAMA Network – Open. He graduated from Brown University, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, and completed his residency, chief residency, and clinical/research fellowship at MGH before joining the faculty. Dr. Perlis’s research is focused on identifying predictors of treatment response in brain diseases, and using these biomarkers to develop novel treatments.

Brandon J. Johnson is a tireless advocate for positive mental health and suicide prevention services for youth and adults across the country and within the local community of Baltimore, MD. Brandon earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Morgan State University in 2008 and a Master of Health Science Degree from Johns Hopkins University in 2012. He has provided guidance to states, tribes, and healthcare systems on suicide prevention initiatives. Outside of his career, Brandon works with youth as a part of the Royalty Youth Ministry of Morning Star Baptist Church in Woodlawn, MD.

Patrick Watson has served as the Superintendent of Bloomfield Hills School District since January 2020. Prior to joining Bloomfield Hills, he spent 25 years in the West Bloomfield School District as a coach, teacher, athletic director, assistant principal, and principal. Over the last six years Mr. Watson has been heavily involved with Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention in schools. He earned his bachelors, masters and specialist degrees from Eastern Michigan University.

Good Postvention IS Prevention This session will highlight the importance of responding quickly and effectively to a school-related completed suicide. Doing so will lessen the risk that youth vulnerable to suicide will attempt in the aftermath. Come learn facts, theory, and effective ways to respond in a school setting.

BeNice: More than a Catch Phrase The BeNice organization is represented by a dynamic group of students throughout the state of Michigan aggressively devoted to suicide awareness and prevention and mental health promotion and education. The acronym NICE (Notice, Invite, Challenge, and Empower) was created by a devoted group of ladies who looked to change the way mental health was discussed in school communities. And they are doing just that with BeNice. Established eleven years ago on the west side of the state, BeNice has long been a presence there with chapters in over 130 middle and high schools. Now it is moving east. Last winter ten schools in metro Detroit were invited to inaugurate their own BeNice charters. Come learn what they are up to in this student-led panel session and how they are making a difference in their schools.

Cultural Competence: An Approach to Supporting the Social-Emotional Needs of Culturally Diverse Students This interactive professional learning experience will provide participants with an opportunity to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to support the social-emotional needs of students from diverse backgrounds (i.e. race, ethnicity, gender, language, sexual orientation, religion, SES, etc.). Areas of focus will include: 1. Self-Reflection and Awareness; 2. Knowing Your Students’ Culture; and 3. Creating a Culturally Responsive Learning Environment that supports the social-emotional needs of diverse learners.

Addressing Suicidality for LGBTQ-identified Individuals This session will provide attendees with a brief introduction to LGBTQ identities, disparity, and suicide risk factors, as well as opportunities for intervention from various helping professionals, including clinicians. Information on LGBTQ-identified individuals’ needs at a variety of life stages will be included, from youth to elders.

The Two People You Can Help: Yourself, and Someone Else Ellen focuses on normalizing suicide prevention in our own lives to make us more helpful and effective when someone else needs us to intervene on their behalf, using the steps of the My SAFETY Plan as a guide.

Supporting LGBTQ Students at School This session will explore how schools can become more LGBTQ (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/ Questioning) friendly. We will discuss current terminology for the LGBTQ community, explore how gender roles / heteronormativity impact students, and explore gender / sexuality as a vast spectrum of identities. We will look at how schools can accommodate name changes and pronoun usage, support the development of GSA clubs at the secondary level, and be sure the health curriculum is inclusive. Hear from a senior in high school of their journey through high school with supports in place.

Building a Resilience Strategy: Dharma Rx This session will provide teachers and school staff with practical strategies to use with students in the school setting to promote mental wellness, resilience, calming, and coping. Participants will also learn how teaching, especially during a pandemic, may impact the mental health of school staff and provide self-care tips to help boost resilience.

The Relentless Tour: An Anti-Bullying Initiative In this presentation, Anthony Ianni talks about his life story of growing up with autism and dealing with bullying, and overcoming the challenges of both. He also explains how your actions can affect those around you more than you know.

COVID and Suicide in the Latinx Community This workshop will cover the unique challenges the Latinx Community faces during COVID-19 and what supports can be provided during a global pandemic. This workshop will also provide Latinx cultural awareness, that can support you in doing suicide prevention in the Latinx Community.

Marquita Felder, MSW From Engagement to Transition: A Culturally Sensitive Approach to Treating African Americans and Minority Groups in Mental Health

Leaving No Margins: The BHS Student Equity Council As our country has been reckoning with the impact of centuries of systemic racism over the last several months, Bloomfield Hills high school students decided that they wanted to fight racism not only within their communities, but also within their school. Students led the Board of Education to adopt a Resolution to Eradicate Racism, and meet weekly with administrators on strategies to dismantle racism within the school system. We will spend some time sharing who the Student Equity Council is, when and how we meet, what we have accomplished, and what we hope to accomplish.

Happiness, Gratitude and School Connectedness Join us to learn how creating a school climate invested in happiness, gratitude, empathy and resilience can positively impact both school connectedness and mental health.

The Role of Trauma in Children’s Mental Health This breakout session will go in depth about the underlying issues of suicidal behavior and help the audience to understand what trauma is, what it may look like for parents and professionals, and how it affects children biologically, behaviorally and emotionally. In addition, considerations during COVID-19 will be explored and how trauma affects people differently when considering age, culture and the individual.

The Importance of Connection with a Suicidal Patient No matter which therapeutic modality we might use, we will not successfully help a suicidal patient if we don’t build a strong connection with them from the start. This session will focus on ways to build that connection in order to gain the patient’s trust, hear their whole story, and help them find themselves again.

Fear, Panic and Anxiety Dr. Imam Salie discusses fear, panic and anxiety as leading causes to mental health problems, and antidotes to these poisons from an Islamic perspective.