Suicide Prevention

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By

Ellison, Kathleen, MS, MA, NCC

Katie Ellison, MA, MS, NCC is an Associate Director of Research Activities and program director for the Safer Homes Collaborative with the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Her research focuses on lethal means reduction strategies, such as reducing easy access to firearms in the home to prevent firearm suicide. She has worked in community and school suicide prevention for over twenty years, earning recognition as a specialist and consultant in community, state, and school suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention best practices.

Presentation(s): 

 

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Youth Suicide: A Look at Before and After

Speaker(s):

Shari Scott, M.A., LPC

Presentation:

Youth suicide frequently graces the covers of magazines, social media, and local news channels.  It’s a topic that increases in coverage as the statistics for suicide deaths among youth simultaneously climb upward.  Suicide ranks as the second leading cause of death for persons aged 10-24 and the rates increase yearly.  The victims left in its path are perplexed and dig through social media posts and the personal belongings of the deceased looking for answers. 

Published research and post-mortem analysis of completed suicides in youth point to highly correlative factors such as the presence of psychosocial, mental health, and substance abuse issues.  But what happens to the loved ones after someone dies a death by suicide?  What can one expect from the grief journey and how can professionals support the grieving child, teen, or adult? 

This presentation covers a post-mortem analysis of nearly 3000 youth suicide deaths to uncover pre-existing and contributing factors in the lives of those who died by suicide.  It also provides tips on how to support the bereaved child, teen, or adult on their grief journey.

Objectives:

  1. Examine nearly 3000 youth suicide deaths to determine underlying causes
  2. Explore statistics related to youth suicide deaths
  3. Define risk factors and red flags in suicidal youth
  4. Discuss ways to talk to youth about suicide
  5. Review the psychosocial, mental health, and substance abuse/use factors in suicidal youth

Slides and Handouts:

SCOTT_Pediatric Suicide and Loss MIMH 2021

By

Preventing Youth Suicide in Missouri: Effectiveness of a Hospital, School and Community Mental Health Center Collaboration in Kansas City

Speaker(s):

Kirsti Millar, M.S.

Michelle Alvarado, BSW

Bryan Gourley, BS

Rachel Morelan, BA, MPA

Heather White, BS

Presentation:

The Missouri Department of Mental Health was awarded a five-year SAMHSA youth suicide prevention grant in 2016. The Show Me Zero Youth Suicide Initiative aims to expand intervention services and prevent suicide in youth aged 10-24 in the greater Kansas City area. This initiative is being implemented by two local Community Mental Health Centers. The program diverts youth who are admitted to hospital emergency department and in-patient psychiatric departments to mental health services at these two centers. Program staff also work with Kansas City area schools to identify and refer youth at risk of suicide. This presentation will describe the key interventions, provide data on the ongoing program effectiveness and discussing ways for ongoing sustainability.

Objectives:

  1. Describe the Kansas City youth suicide prevention initiative and its effectiveness in reducing suicide and suicidal ideation
  2. Offer “Lessons Learned” from implementation of this youth suicide prevention initiative
  3. Discuss potential for replication in other locations and sustainability
By

Gourley, Bryan, B.S.

Bryan previously graduated from Rockhurst with a BS in psychology. He has worked in social services with homeless youth in both Kansas City and Colorado providing outreach counseling to at-risk and homeless youth living on the streets. Currently Bryan serves as a member of the Zero Youth Suicide Prevention team providing outreach to youth and young adults. He has held multiple leadership roles during his professional working career. Bryan is currently working towards earning his MBA from Rockhurst in hopes of assisting small non profits as well as social enterprise companies that provide social services and that help communities in powerful ways.
 

 

By

Millar, Kirsti, M.S.


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 in the field working with both adults and youth alike in therapeutic, case management and crisis like settings. She completed her master’s degree in counseling from Missouri State University with an emphasis in Play Therapy. Kirsti enjoys working with youth and has a passion for community engagement. Kirsti has extensive training across multiple modalities including: motivational interviewing, positive youth development, harm reduction, assessing and managing suicide risk, trauma informed care, vicarious trauma, EMDR and play therapy.


Presentation(s): 

Preventing Youth Suicide in Missouri: Effectiveness of a Hospital, School and Community Mental Health Center Collaboration in Kansas City




 

 

By

White, Heather, BS


Heather White is a Case Manager with the Zero Youth Suicide Program working with adolescents and young adults ages 10-24. She has been working with the ZYS program since May of 2018. Heather has worked with at-risk youth and young adults in the Kansas City Metro area for over 20 years and is dedicated to building, supporting and encouraging her clients to obtain and maintain skills that allow them to create a healthy outlook on life and the future. Heather holds dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Sociology (with an emphasis in Human Development and Family Studies) from the University of Missouri- Columbia.

Heather is very passionate about helping our society’s youth and young adults and believes as their lives are ever changing, the challenges that her clients face have become one of the most needed areas to provide mental health education and services.  She believes her greatest skill is to be a cheerleader to her clients as they navigate life, grow and develop into healthy adults.


Fun Facts: Heather is also an AFAA certified Group Fitness and Yoga Instructor and holds a CLC in lactation services. She is also an active member of her church as a Deacon and holds positions on multiple committees.

Presentation(s): 

Preventing Youth Suicide in Missouri: Effectiveness of a Hospital, School and Community Mental Health Center Collaboration in Kansas City






 

 

By

Morelan, Rachel, BA, MPA


Rachel Morelan works as the Team Lead for Rediscover’s Youth Suicide Prevention Team. She has over 10 years of experience in law enforcement, probation, victim advocacy and mental health. Rachel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and a Master’s degree in Public Administration/Human Resources Management. In addition, she is currently working on a second Master’s degree in Social Work to eventually reach her goal of becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. 
Presentation(s): 
Preventing Youth Suicide in Missouri: Effectiveness of a Hospital, School and Community Mental Health Center Collaboration in Kansas City






 

 

By

Alvarado, Michelle, BSW

Michelle works as an Outreach Case Manager for the Suicide Prevention Team. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at the University of Missouri, and additionally holds a minor in Spanish. Michelle is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Michelle has previous experience as an Investigator for the Department for Children and Families, and has volunteered for a domestic violence shelter, the Missouri Crisis Line, and the University of Kansas Medical Center as an interpreter.

Michelle is passionate about advocating for individuals in vulnerable populations. She is constantly learning about local resources to help provide a complete and well-rounded service to her clients. Michelle’s work in mental health has been very rewarding for her, as she has witnessed the positive impact Suicide Prevention has had on the families who need us most.



Presentation(s): 

Preventing Youth Suicide in Missouri: Effectiveness of a Hospital, School and Community Mental Health Center Collaboration in Kansas City


 

 

By

Scott, Shari, M.A., LPC

Shari is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado with over 19 years of experience in the helping field.  After career foundations in investigations of child abuse/neglect cases, Shari decided to further her experience with a Master’s degree in counseling.  She currently works full time in her own private practice while providing on-site counseling for a Kansas City area corporation.  In addition to that, Shari maintains national board certification and various other certifications in telebehavioral health, mediation, and critical incident response.  Throughout the course of her career, Shari has served as a grief support specialist and worked alongside children, teens, and adults who suffered the death of someone close to them.  She speaks locally and regionally to professionals about suicide-related grief and also talks with metro high schools about mental health and suicidality awareness.  She’s previously presented at MO DMH Spring Institute, various local hospitals and schools, the American Counseling Association of Missouri, and the Suicide Prevention Conference.  






Presentation(s): 

Youth Suicide:  A Look At Before and After








 

 

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SOAR can work for YOU! How SOAR can Improve Engagement, Outcomes & Community Alliances

Speaker(s):

Sara Schwab, MS, LPC

Jared Reck, BA

Eric Godfroy

Presentation: SOAR is used throughout Missouri to assist individuals experiencing SMI and homelessness with accessing financial benefits, but the reach of SOAR expands far greater than increasing clients’ income. By developing a consistent practice for utilizing SOAR in local communities, providers will see improvements in client engagement and retention, improved outcomes at the client and program level, and strengthened partnerships with agencies, leading to a more collaborative and coordinated system. This presentation provides an overview of the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) process in both theory and practice. Strategies for working with challenging circumstances (substance use disorders, initial episodes, institutional barriers) will be discussed and attendees will have an opportunity to talk through barriers that they have experienced when establishing or maintaining a SOAR program. The benefits of maintaining traction through those challenges are impactful to clients, providers, and the local community and each of those areas will be covered in detail.

Objectives:

  1. Describe the SOAR process in Missouri
  2. Utilize specific strategies for working with challenging circumstances during the SOAR process
  3. Identify several benefits of using SOAR at the client, program, and community levels

Schwab_SOAR_PPDownload