I did announce this on Facebook… but can’t resist some additional bragging that I scored 100% on the final exam as part of recertifying my status as a “Mental Health First Aid Specialist.” The refresher course was actually well-designed and included some thought-provoking scenarios… “What would you do if…?”
It’s a busy time! My is complete but I’m still working on scheduling Suicide Awareness Workshops… plus doing some course development… and I’m almost ready to release another book! Details will be coming soon.
NAMI has scheduled a training before school begins to allow administrators to attend. Join them for this vital training on suicide prevention. The Advanced Gatekeeper for School Personnel was developed to support the deepening development of suicide prevention and intervention skills for people working in Maine’s school system. The law mandating each school district to have a minimum number of Gatekeeper-trained staff requires the training be renewed after 5 years. The Advanced Gatekeeper Training provides additional information about addressing self-injury, assessing suicide risk, safety planning, managing social media and other topics of interest to school personnel. This session is reserved for school administrators only. There is NO COST for this training session scheduled on August 16, 2018. Click here to register.
WB Note: Class is scheduled to be taught by Greg Marley… he’s a great instructor, I’ve taken several of his classes!
We all have them; we all encounter them. If you attend one of my Suicide Awareness Programs, you’ll learn that one of my favorite questions is “Are you okay?” This four-minute video provides some insights into what can happen when the answer is “No.”
While the video does, in the end, encourage Mental Health First Aid training, I think it also makes the point that it’s not necessary to be a professional to be helpful. It’s mostly about listening, caring, and asking questions.
One “awkward” conversation I remember took place with someone I only knew casually. She just didn’t seem to be acting right, so I asked the question, “Are you okay?” She replied that she was not; she had just been diagnosed with stage four cancer. I asked her to tell me more and it was as though a floodgate had been opened. I said very little, acknowledging what she was saying and asking an occasional question.
Suddenly, she stopped–almost mid-sentence and said, “Most people don’t like talking about this.” I replied that it was not news I enjoyed hearing but that it seemed to me we needed to talk about it.” (Perhaps more accurately, she needed to talk about it.) We talked for about an hour about her feelings and plans. I really didn’t say much.
My point in telling the story is that “mental health” doesn’t mean crazy nor are conversations always going to be about suicide and depression. Sometimes it’s just about being a person and living with life challenges. We really can do a better job of helping each other, if only by listening, caring, and asking questions.
If you are interested in Mental Health First Aid training, you can click here for more information or let me know–I’ll be happy to help you locate a course.
Can’t resist posting this… The conference was actually a full day. In addition to an incredible keynote presentation about the value of storytelling in suicide prevention, I attended several breakout sessions. One was about the new season of 13 Reasons Why being released by NetFlix. Frankly, not much has changed about this, but it something parents of young teens should be aware of… another was about media reporting regarding suicide deaths, etc. I came away with some great resources!
I’m just finishing up the keynote presenter’s book “The Gospel According to Josh.” It’s an amazing story. His blog doesn’t really do his story or his presentations justice, but it’s worth a visit:
There’s plenty of uncertainty about it but NetFlix appears to be planning a release of Season Two of the 13 Reasons Why series soon. As a result, it’s likely some teens and young adults will be rewatching season one–or possibly even watching it for the first time.
While this book and the resulting series need not be feared, those of us who are actively promoting suicide awareness and prevention are at least mildly disturbed that 13RW might seem to glorify suicide and, to quote an article written by a psychiatrist for the JED Foundation, “The suicide is graphically depicted, the young woman who dies is memorialized in unhelpful ways, the suicide seemingly results directly from the misdeeds perpetrated against her by others and Hannah is portrayed as a long suffering victim who, by her death, is taking vengeance on those who have wronged her.”
I’ve read the book. It’s not exactly an uplifting story.
However, knowledge is power. The consensus is that younger teens should not watch the show alone, although that may be unpreventable. It’s most important to be prepared to talk about the story and suicide. For every “Hannah Story” there are other stories with different choices and happier endings.
One of the values of 13RW may be the dialog it creates and the opportunity to consider how we help one another through life. I’ve devoted a . Several parents have told me they found the 13RW Talking points particularly helpful and have used them to have conversations with their children. There are also resources for teachers and school counselors.
The message most missed by 13RW is that help is available. If you have any specific questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. And do not hesitate to contact a hotline/lifeline.
PS… I will be teaching a at the Guilford United Methodist Church on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. All are welcome!
Walter Boomsma (“Mr. Boomsma”) writes on a wide array of topics including personal development, teaching and learning. Course information is also available here!
