The 2024 Spring Institute: Suicide Prevention will be held virtually on Zoom

Agenda 

11:45 - 12:00 - Welcome & Updates
Amber Gibson, NCSPA President
Corliss Thompson-Drew & Amy Lowder, NCSPA School Safety & Crisis Response Co-Chairs

12:00 - 1:00 - School Based Youth Suicide Prevention
Dr. Jonathan Singer, Ph.D., LCSW - Professor, Loyola University – Chicago School of Social Work

This hour-long webinar will cover the latest statistics and best-practice recommendations for school-based youth suicide prevention. You will learn about the critical components of the Suicide in Schools model, including screening, assessment, monitoring, safety planning, hospital re-entry, and postvention protocols, equipping you with the knowledge to effectively address this sensitive issue in educational environments.

1:10 - 2:00 - Why Do You Even Care About Us?: A Humanizing First Approach to Suicide Prevention
Sonyia Richardson, PhD, MSW, LCSW & Margaret Phipps-Bennett, MSW, LCSWA

Researchers have recently acknowledged the varying risk and protective factors for diverse youth populations based on intersecting identities. However, suicide prevention efforts that address these specific needs are limited. In this interactive session, we will introduce the Humanizing First approach, which applies cultural considerations to suicide prevention strategies. Additionally, we will engage in discussion about applications of this approach within school-based settings.

2:10 - 3:00 - Suicide Prevention and Intervention in K-12 Schools
Dorothy L. Espelage, Ph.D.

This session will provide an overview of suicide prevention and intervention in rural and urban K-12 schools, focusing on effective evidence-based programming and the challenges to expect when implementing.  Discussion will also center around meeting the needs of diverse populations. You will see an example of how one upstream suicide prevention program, Sources of Strength, has been implemented across 10 high schools in North Carolina. Practitioners and scholars should attend to learn more about challenges and opportunities in upstream school-based suicide prevention programming. 

3:10 - 4:00 - Panel Discussion - School Based Experiences - 
Panelists: Victor Armstrong, Ruby Brown-Herring, Captain Barrett Elwood, Jeannie Kerr, Don Phipps, Rep. John Torbett