 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Hello |
|
Crisis Care Network has recently been invited to participate in the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the public-private partnership advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. The stated mission of this initiative is to advance that strategy by:
· CHAMPIONING suicide prevention as a national priority
· CATALYZING efforts to implement high priority objectives of the NSSP
· CULTIVATING the resources needed to sustain progress
The specific task force in which we are involved targets the workplace as an effective, leverageable system for change. Why the workplace? Several reasons. In today’s mobile society, many people spend more time and derive more of a sense of supportive community from their work teams than from extended family, neighborhood, etc. Those relationships can be preventively supportive. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for adults aged 25-34; a significant percentage of our workforces.
In response to this initiative and because we frequently receive related service requests, Crisis Care Network is developing a new Suicide Triage response. We are connecting with researchers, recognized experts, and employers to identify best practices and then training involved stakeholders – our network Specialists, internal staff, and customers – regarding how to best support employers to keep people safe.
34,000 Americans died by suicide last year. This edition of PracticePoints and the featured upcoming webinar led by Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas (www.carsonjspencer.org) represent our efforts to significantly reduce that number.
|
|
Bob VandePol, President
March 2011
|
|
|
|
Working Minds: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace by Sally Spencer-Thomas |
|
|
Who is at risk? Which occupation is at most risk for suicide? Military? Dentists? Psychiatrists? Police officers? This question is confounded by a number of issues that complicate the answer. Some occupations are heavily male. We know men take their lives four times more often than women, so are higher suicide rates in those occupations a function of the occupation itself or the fact that men are higher risk? A similar argument is made for unskilled and temporary jobs when we know the stress of poverty and unemployment also plays a role in suicide risk.
Nevertheless, we know that some occupations, by the nature of the work, may place individuals at higher or lower risk for suicide. [read more]
|
|
|
|
Postvention: Helping Individuals and Workplaces in the Aftermath of a Suicide By Sally Spencer-Thomas |
|
|
On the day my 34-year old brother died by suicide, I had been a psychologist for nine years, four months, and three days, and in the field of mental health for much longer than that. I had studied suicide, experienced an intensive rotation on my internship and had even published a paper on law enforcement and suicide with the FBI. In the days and months following Carson’s death I found myself barely trying to cope and trying desperately to understand. At first I was consumed with concrete tasks, like publishing my brother’s obituary and getting his pictures blown up for his memorial service. [read more]
|
|
|
|
Crisis Care Network Promotes "Give An Hour" Program |
|
|
U.S. troops returning from the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan face increased behavioral health and family stressors. Crisis Care Network is encouraging its network of 6,000 Specialists to participate in a unique opportunity to support those troops through a non-profit organization called Give An Hour. Founded by practicing psychologist Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, Give An Hour has created a national network of behavioral health professionals who commit to donate one hour of counseling services per week to returning troops and their families.
For additional information, go to www.giveanhour.org.
|
|
|
|
