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Kevin's
Song
2020
Conference
on
Suicide
at
the Inn
at St.
John's
in
Plymouth,
Jan.
23-25
Fourth
annual
event
will
feature
hundreds
of
stakeholders
coming
together
to focus
on
suicide
awareness
and
prevention
GROSSE
POINTE
FARMS,
Mich. -
More
than 400
health
care
providers,
behavioral
health
professionals,
educators,
first
responders,
loss
survivors
and
suicide
prevention
advocates
will
attend
the
Kevin’s
Song
fourth
annual
Conference
on
Suicide:
Advocacy
in
ACTION,
January
23 – 25,
at the
Inn at
St.
Johns
located
at 44045
Five
Mile
Rd.,
Plymouth.
The
annual
conference
is
presented
by
Kevin’s
Song, a
nonprofit
organization
dedicated
to
suicide
awareness
and
prevention.
“The
research
and
education
in the
prevention
of
suicide
is ever
evolving,”
said
Kevin’s
Song
Vice
President
and
Co-Founder
Gail
Urso.
“Our
goals
with the
conference
are to
raise
awareness
about
the fact
that
suicide
is a
public
health
crisis
that we
all need
to
address
effectively,
and to
provide
meaningful
education
for as
many
stakeholders
as
possible.
This
ongoing
awareness
and
training
are
critical
in order
to help
others
learn
who may
be at
risk,
the
warning
signs of
suicide,
and the
steps to
take
when a
family
member,
student,
friend
or
coworker
is at
risk.
This is
why it
is so
important
that
business
and
municipal
leaders,
educators,
parents,
mental
health
and
medical
professionals,
veterans,
as well
as those
touched
by
suicide
join us
as we
work to
achieve
our
vision
of a
world
without
suicide.”
Advocacy
in
Action –
The
first
two days
(January
23 – 24)
of the
three-day
conference
will
focus on
how
communities
can
address
suicide
prevention
through
unified,
collaborative
coalitions
of
community
resources
using
the best
available
research
and
evidence-based
practices.
Researchers,
clinicians
and
suicide
prevention
advocates
will
cover
the
topic
from
both the
personal
and
community
level.
Concurrently,
a School
Summit
will be
held on
Thursday,
January
23,
bringing
together
educators
to share
best
practices
in
suicide
awareness
and
prevention.
Attendees
will
learn
about
innovative
programs
available
to
students,
teachers
and
parents
throughout
Michigan.
School
personnel
are
encouraged
to
attend.
Continuing
education
credits
for
school
psychologists,
social
workers,
counselors,
teachers
and
human
resource
professionals
will be
available
for
approved
conference
sessions.
“Educators
play a
key role
in
identifying
potential
suicidal
behavior,”
said
Macomb
Intermediate
School
District
School
Safety/Student
Assistance
Consultant
and
Psychotherapist
Nancy
Buyle.
“The
breakout
sessions
at the
School
Summit
will
help
participants
better
understand
the
relationship
between
suicide
and
issues
such as
bullying,
LGBTQIA
&
chronic
traumatic
exposure/adversity
in
youth.
Overall,
the
summit
will
highlight
the need
to
support
students’
mental
health
in
schools.”
Day
three
(January
25), the
conference
focuses
on
survivors
of
suicide
loss and
attempt
survivors,
support
group
facilitators,
mental
health
professionals
and all
those
interested
in
sharing
and
understanding
the
experience
of
surviving
a
suicide
attempt
or
suicidal
thoughts
and/or
the loss
and
grief
following
the
suicide
of a
loved
one.
“The
goal of
Saturday’s
session
is to
provide
information,
resources
and
support
to help
those
with
their
individual
journeys
through
healing,
loss and
grief,”
said
Kevin’s
Song
Board
Member
and
Conference
Coordinator
Leo
Nouhan.
“We also
want to
assist
mental
health
professionals
and
other
caregivers
in
understanding
the
needs of
survivors
and to
help
them
move
forward
to
reintegrate
into
their
families,
school,
work or
community
environment
with
needs
identified,
understood
and
met.”
A
key
component
to the
2020
Conference
will be
the
importance
of
coalition
building
and the
need for
public/private
partnerships.
The
conference
will
feature
two
separate
panel
discussions
that
will
address
the role
of
federal,
state
and
local
government
and the
business
and
healthcare
communities
in
advocating
for
suicide
awareness
and
prevention
and
better
access
to
mental
health
services.
In order
to have
a more
unified
voice to
advocate
for
changes
and
initiatives
that
will
promote
suicide
education,
training
and
prevention,
Kevin’s
Song has
launched
a
collaborative
initiative,
With One
Voice.
Kevin’s
Song
will
facilitate
an
assembly
of
local,
statewide
and
national
suicide
prevention
groups
and
regional
coalitions,
along
with
mental
health
providers
and
community
mental
health
organizations,
in order
to
explore
how
together
they can
more
effectively
promote
meaningful
change.
At the
conference,
With One
Voice
will
announce
its
priorities
for the
upcoming
year.
Michigan
Congresswoman
Debbie
Dingell,
an
acknowledged
champion
for
mental
health
advocacy,
will be
one of
the
conference’s
keynote
speakers,
along
with:
John
Della
Volpe,
Director
of
Polling,
Institute
of
Politics,
Harvard
University
Kennedy
School;
Dr.
Thomas
Joiner,
an
academic
psychologist,
leading
expert
on
suicide,
and the
Robert
O.
Lawton
Professor
of
Psychology
at
Florida
State
University;
Dr.
Cheryl
King,
Professor
&
Director
of the
Youth
Depression
and
Suicide
Prevention
Program
at the
University
of
Michigan;
Michael
Anestis,
Ph.D.,
Associate
Professor
of
Psychology,
Director
of the
Suicide
and
Emotion
Dysregulation
laboratory,
University
of
Southern
Mississippi
to
discuss
gun
deaths
in the
United
States
and
challenging
the
narratives
about
the role
of
mental
illness;
Dr. Bart
Andrews,
Vice
President
of
Telehealth
and
Home/Community
Services
at
Behavioral
Health
Response
in St.
Louis;
Jenny
Landon,
Founder
of
Growing
Out of
Darkness
(GOOD)
and
author
of
Growing
Through
Grief;
Thomas
Dionne,
the
mayor of
Utica
and a
public
safety
officer
for the
city of
Grosse
Pointe
Farms
will
share
his
story of
hope and
how he
saved a
man from
ending
his
life;
and a
special
presentation
by
Dennis
Liegghio,
founder
of Know
Resolve,
a metro
Detroit
501(c)(3)
non-profit
organization
dedicated
to
promoting
mental
health
and
preventing
youth
suicides
through
outreach,
advocacy
and
education.
Cost
to
attend
the
three-day
conference
is $250.
Two-day
or
single
day
registration
is also
available.
Visit
www.kevinssong.org
for more
information.
About
Kevin’s
Song
Kevin’s
Song is
a
charitable
organization
dedicated
to
generating
public
awareness
about
the
causes
of
suicide,
its
prevalence
in our
society,
and
possible
preventive
measures.
As an
organization
we are
creating
a
working
community
of
professionals
and
advocates
that is
rapidly
being
recognized
as a
valuable
resource
in the
metropolitan
Detroit
area for
offering
knowledge,
hope and
healing
to
individuals,
families
and
communities
touched
by
suicide.
With
One
Voice.
In order
to have
a more
unified
voice
Kevin’s
Song has
also
launched
a
collaborative
initiative
of
local,
statewide
and
national
groups,
regional
coalitions,
mental
health
providers
and
community
mental
health
organizations
to
explore
how,
together,
we can,
promote
meaningful
change.
Kevin’s
Song was
founded
by John
and Gail
Urso in
honor of
their
son,
Kevin,
who took
his own
life in
2013.
For more
information
visit
www.kevinssong.org
or call
(313)
236-7109.
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