In a world that seems crazy, I have a few more certainties to share with you!
For real estate sales agents, I’ve added an associate broker course to the schedule! It’ll be in Augusta, in November. You can or visit The Real Estate Learning Group Website.
For Suicide Awareness and Prevention, I continue to search for physical sites and programs interested in offering this two-hour program for free. The need is not diminishing. A study by the Mental Health Index published this month shows the risk for depression among U.S. workers has risen an alarming 102% since February of this year. I am also working on live-streaming this course as an alternative. Stay tuned! (If your organization would like to host a live workshop, please let me know!
For Substitute Teacher Training, several adult education programs are interested in hosting a course but the specifics are coming together slowly. There is, however, one exception! I am very pleased to announce that Spruce Mountain Adult Education-RSU 73, is making this a priority and has scheduled an in-person workshop on September 16, 2020, preceded by a no-cost online forum, facilitated by “Mr. Boomsma.”
Social distancing requirements mean reduced capacity in classrooms and all live courses and workshops are filling up quickly. Act quickly!
To teach how to live without certainty and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can do for those who study it.
The Substitute Teacher’s Forum scheduled for today, February 27, 2020, at Nokomis Regional High has been postponed due to school closings. It is rescheduled for Monday, March 2, 2020. Contact RSU 19 Adult Education for additional information.
The Suicide Awareness and Prevention Workshop scheduled for March 31, 2020, in Dover Foxcroft has a location change. Due to the larage number of participants registering, the course will be held at the SeDoMoCha School Library on Harrison Avenue. This means there’s still time to register and room for more–this is a free workshop.
For those also attending the Suicide Awareness Workshop as part of the Substitute Teacher Workshop, note the location for that has NOT changed–the Substitute Teacher Workshop will be held at PVAEC.
For information about both Dover Foxcroft Workshops, contact PVAEC at 564-6525 or visit their website.
If any of this is confusing you can always contact Walter! Hope to see you in a course or workshop soon!
September is Suicide Prevention Month! And, yes, anyone can save a life. I asked Paul Stearns, Representative for Maine District 119, if I could repost the following article from his E-Newsletter. While it emphasizes the point that health care providers often have an opportunity to intervene, anyone can. let me call your attention to the Suicide Safer Care Portal mentioned in the article. I’ll be adding this Portal to the resource page of this site as it is a gateway to some great resources. Note also that I am teaching several Suicide Awareness and Prevention 90-minute courses in the the near future. You can save a life!
To mark National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in
September, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is
sharing the message that suicide prevention is up to all of us, and that anyone
can save a life. Maine CDC promotes the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s
#BeThe1To campaign (www.BeThe1To.com) and
encourages individuals to recognize and intervene when someone they know may be
at risk of suicide.
Support for Mainers at risk of suicide is critical. Since 1999,
suicide death rates have increased in nearly every state, rising more than 30%
in half the states. In Maine, suicide death rates increased by 27% from 1999
through 2016, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among Maine
youth and adults ages 10-35. Family members, friends, and co-workers can all
play a critical role by helping find care and support for those struggling with
thoughts of suicide.
“Asking someone if they are thinking about killing
themselves does not increase their risk of attempting suicide,” said Maine
CDC Director Nirav D. Shah. “For someone contemplating suicide, knowing
that someone cares and can connect them to help may be the thing that saves
their life.”
“The statistics regarding youth suicide are alarming,”
said Dr. Todd Landry, Director of Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services,
which oversees child welfare and children’s behavioral health services.
“Suicide is more common among vulnerable youth, so I encourage adults to
engage with the youth in their lives – talk to them, ask them questions, and
connect with them. For a youth who is struggling, that connection to a trusted
adult who loves and cares about them can have tremendous importance.”
Doctors and counselors have a chance to intervene with those at
risk. Sixty-four percent of people who attempt suicide visit their doctor in
the month before their attempt and 38% do so in the week before. The Maine CDC
is promoting the Suicide Safer Care Training Portal (sweetser.academy.reliaslearning.com/),
a resource developed in partnership with the Sweetser Training Institute, to
help providers reduce the risk of suicide among people in their care. This
resource offers free, evidence-based online training in suicide risk screening,
intervention, treatment, and support.
“Screening and high-quality care for suicide risk should be
as routine as screening and caring for a person with diabetes,” said
Director Shah. “People need to know it is a sign of strength to say they
are struggling, and that help is available.”
If you are thinking about suicide or are aware of someone who is, reach out for help. Contact the Maine Crisis Hotline at 1-888-568-1112 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Walter Boomsma (“Mr. Boomsma”) writes on a wide array of topics including personal development, teaching and learning. Course information is also available here!
