Lenape Valley Foundation is hosting a virtual suicide prevention conference on Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. This seminar, co-hosted by the Bucks County Suicide Prevention Task Force, aims to provide current information and best practices in suicide prevention. Renowned speakers will provide information and answer questions that will be beneficial to professionals, educators, family members and the community.
Keynote presenters are Anna S. Mueller, Ph.D., the Luther Dana Waterman Associate Professor of Sociology at Indiana University; and Rory O’Connor, Ph.D., FAcSS, Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.
Mueller will discuss “Social Roots of Adolescent Suicide.” Her research examines the social roots of adolescent suicide and suicide clusters; the mechanisms driving suicide “contagion” among youth; and how organizational science can help improve suicide prevention in schools.
O’Connor’s presentation is titled “When It Is Darkest: Understanding Suicide Risk.” He is the president of the International Association for Suicide Prevention and a past president of the International Academy of Suicide Research. He leads the Suicide Behaviour Research Laboratory at Glasgow, one of the leading suicide/self-harm research groups internationally. He has published extensively in the field of suicide and self-harm, specifically concerning the psychological processes which precipitate suicidal behavior and self-harm.
Additionally, Rhonda Hart, LCSW, Behavioral Health: Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator for the Philadelphia Department of Veteran Affairs, will present “VA S.A.V.E.” Lenape Valley Foundation staff members Kristopher Thompson, LCSW, associate executive director of crisis services; and Nicole Wolf, M.Ed., director of education and training, will present on “De-escalating Potential Suicide Risk.”
The conference is open to the public, however online reservations are required in order to receive the Zoom link. Registration fee is $25. The program is pending approval by the National Association of Social Workers for four continuing education credits. Four credits have currently been approved for EMS CPC (clinical patient care). To register, visit lenapevf.org/SPConference. For more information, call Suzanne Rhodeside at 267-893-5280 or email suzanne.rhodeside@lenapevf.org.
Visit lenapevf.org or call 215-345-5300 for more information on Lenape Valley Foundation.
