If we have a common language, we can ask for what we want and need. In this session, participants will get more information on mental well-being and literacy, including what it is and the signs and symptoms of oncoming mental health challenges in ourselves and others. Learn about resources available through further education, awareness opportunities, and advocacy tin an intergenerational and diverse digital literacy world. Learn about options for support through a fun and engaging session and walk away with inspiration for your next steps.

This training is brought to you by generous funding through Vermont Care Partners (VCP) Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) grant funds. Current grants include: The Vermont Department of Health’s Garrett Lee Smith grant, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Mental Health Awareness Training grant, and the Vermont Department of Mental Health AWARE grant. 

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer, the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year, thousands of Americans like you are saying "Yes" to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor.

Suicide risk assessment is a process reflecting the complex, dynamic, and personal aspects of suicide risk for an individual. This talk will present assessment methodologies that can improve the clinical assessment of risk by focusing on strategies that facilitate clinical understanding of risk and individualized intervention. The Structured Professional Judgement (SPJ) approach to suicide risk assessment will be presented as a way forward in improving risk assessment practices in clinical settings.

In this interactive workshop, we'll provide a 75-minute overview of Conversations About Suicide, an 8-hour training developed by people with lived experience of suicidality. We'll discuss 1) the power of compassion and connection; 2) the importance of autonomy, choice, and the dignity of risk; 3) suicide as a language of pain; and 4) a harm reduction approach to supporting people who are considering suicidal.

This workshop will support learners from a variety of mental health, health care and other settings in planning for suicide-specific pathways to care for their clients/patients who may be at risk for suicide. Developing and refining care pathways is an essential aspect of providing evidence-based suicide prevention care, yet suicide-specific pathways have not been broadly implemented in healthcare settings.

Pathways within an organization need to account for the different ways that clients/patients enter care and the different types of services they may participate in. Suicide prevention care pathways also need to be established between different organizations/practices.

 “I am passionate about preventing suicide by transforming healthcare systems so ‘the right thing is the easy thing.’” – Ed Boudreaux, PhD

In Vermont, 35% of individuals who died by suicide visited the emergency department within the year prior to their death, and 65% of people who died by suicide interacted with healthcare services within a year of death. This session will be led by national subject matter expert Ed Boudreaux, PhD, and will address the urgent need for effective suicide prevention strategies in healthcare settings. This will include a special focus on coordination across the continuum of care with providers supporting patients experiencing suicidality. The primary goal is to raise awareness about the critical role healthcare plays in suicide prevention and to provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of evidence-based practices that can be implemented to reduce suicide risk among patients. This presentation will include an overview of the compelling data on suicide prevention and healthcare, detailed discussions on effective interventions, practical implementation steps, and case studies demonstrating successful strategies. This presentation will be led by national subject matter expert Ed Boudreaux, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, with an introduction by Hillary Wolfley, Executive Director at The Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care.

A suicide can have a devastating impact on a community or organization, and the shock and grief can ripple throughout the community—affecting friends, co-workers, schools, and faith communities. Workshop participants will learn about the Connect Postvention model, which helps service providers respond in a coordinated and comprehensive way in the aftermath of a suicide or any sudden death. Participants will also learn about some of the different resources and programs in Vermont currently available to support individuals and communities affected by suicide loss.

This workshop will explore what it looks like to understand the topic of suicide through a harm reduction lens and offer strategies for supporting people who are struggling themselves. It will open with a deeper exploration of what a ‘harm reduction’ approach truly means and will relate that to the Alternatives to Suicide approach, as developed by the Wildflower Alliance. Also included is a personal account of struggle, paradigm shifts necessary to adopt this approach, and relevant research.

Nathan Carreira, 15, died by suicide in 2018. He was an exceptional ski racer, and his favorite place was in VT and on the snow at Stratton Mountain. The day after he passed, his ski buddies formulated the vision of a ski race to benefit youth mental health. They called it "Shred4Nate." This session is intended to: 1. Inform and motivate learners by sharing the story and impact of a grassroots effort grown from suicide loss, "Shred4Nate" 2. Share partnership connection and commitment with the Stratton Community Foundation (Windham/Bennington counties), focusing on what we have done together, what we are doing, and what we hope to do—including a new initiative called "Nates Corner" 3. Demonstrate that change is possible and empower those ready to take action.

This workshop provides a summary of the planning process and the Vermont Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan. We will break into small groups, which will have guiding questions related to finding your role in preventing suicide in Vermont, whether it be internal work, community, organizational, or elsewhere. The goal of the session is to start getting folks to “see themselves” in the plan and how they want to engage in making improvements.

The impacts of mental health issues, overdose, and suicide are increasing in our society. This session looks at the national and Vermont statistics; how to recognize and respond to a person in crisis; how to reduce stigma in the workplace; and offers resources to support workplace safety, job performance and worker retention.

This presentation reveals the dehumanization and exploitation of Black bodies in the formation of the field of “mental health" and explores how White colonialism and systemic racism continue to exacerbate Black distrust and avoidance of the “mental health“ system. It provides space for a discussion on the resulting and rightful Black stigma surrounding “mental health” and offers active and contemplative approaches to repairing the harm and ensuring the Black wellness.

This session will facilitate an engaging conversation around spirituality and mental wellness, including how soul care can enhance creativity and ingenuity in addressing mental health issues, particularly in suicide prevention and postvention work. Participants will explore soul care practices, learn to build connections through personal narratives, and delve into the power of visual storytelling to aid both themselves and their communities.

This presentation is a discussion-based opportunity to identify risk factors and symptoms for eating disorders and how they contribute to depression and suicidal ideation. We will identify signs and symptoms and discuss best ways to give and receive support on a topic that isn't widely discussed.

In this hands-on workshop, Susan Jones will share the story of her daughter, Norah, and participants will make their own bracelets to take home. Norah loved beautiful stones and crystals. She collected them, wore them as bracelets and necklaces, and kept notes on the healing properties of her favorite stones. After losing Norah to suicide, creating these bracelets began as a way to remember and feel connected to her. Each bracelet is made using Norah’s favorite stones, and each one contains an N bead to remember her by. The process of making and sharing NorahBeads bracelets has sparked conversations in our community about mental illness, suicide prevention, wellness, and resiliency. We hope that these conversations will be a path toward breaking the silence and ending the stigma around mental illness. We hope that these conversations will make it easier for others to reach out and ask for help. We hope that each bracelet will be a reminder to be kind to yourselves and each other, to spread love and hope, to keep going, and to know that even in the darkest times, there are people who wish nothing more than to help you find your way back into the light.

This presentation will describe 5 common challenges that clinicians encounter when helping a suicidal person: 1. Uncertainty, fear, and anxiety about the suicidal person's level of risk, 2. Conflicting agendas between clinician and client, 3. Risk of harm to the client from coercive and involuntary treatments, 4. Feelings of helplessness in the clinician, and 5. Contagion of hopelessness. Drawing from research and literature about collaborative psychotherapeutic approaches with suicidal clients, potential antidotes and solutions will be described for each challenge.

People with suicidal thoughts are often too afraid to tell anyone, and loved ones are often too afraid to ask. This workshop will examine common fears surrounding speaking of suicide. Participants will learn techniques for managing these fears, asking about suicidal thoughts, listening bravely, and responding in ways that convey empathy, compassion, and a desire to help.

The presentation will specifically address speaking with Veterans about suicide and how to “Ask the Question." It is based on the VA S.A.V.E.S. program which will help you act with care and compassion if you come across a Veteran who is in crisis or having thoughts of suicide. The acronym S.A.V.E. helps you remember the important steps involved in suicide prevention: Know the Signs; Ask the Most Important Question; Validate the Veteran's Experience; Encourage Treatment & Expedite Getting Help.

In this session, Dr. Mariam Gregorian will discuss strategies for collaborating with clients to treat the common suicidal “driver” of self-hate. Participants will learn how to use the “Mental Time Travel” (MTT) tool, which Dr. Gregorian developed, with the Collaborative Assessment & Management of Suicidality (CAMS) model. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss challenging CAMS cases and receive consultation from Dr. Gregorian.

*begins at 12pm during lunch