Category Archives: Suicide Prevention

Course Updates

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.

Betrand Russell

Fall is coming…

Learning Opportunities are coming too!

And with it the requests for information about learning opportunities. Do I even need to start with the “challenging times” things? Let’s jump right into where things stand.

Real Estate Related Courses are scheduled through November. While the dates and days are a little different, I’m basically teaching both the Sales Agent and Associate Broker Courses in both Augusta and Bangor. You can view my course calendar for details or visit The Real Estate Learning Group Website.

Speaking of learning opportunities, I’ve recently added several “instructor pages” for real estate students. You can start with the general page which links to pages specific to each course. And, no, you do not have to be registered for a course to access the pages.

Substitute Teacher Workshops are currently in the works and will likely be available in Dover Foxcroft, Newport, and Pittsfield, probably in September and October. Details should be available in the next week or two. We can agree there is likely some uncertainty how subbing might work this fall in view how districts will approach opening.

If you’ve taken a course with me in the past you’ve likely heard me say there are two answers to any question that are never wrong. “I don’t know” and “It depends.” If you ask me what subbing will look like this fall, I’ll use them together. “I don’t know! It depends!” But I do know that the concepts and techniques in the Substitute Teacher Workshop will continue to be important.

Suicide Prevention Workshops will again be offered in conjunction with the Substitute Teacher Workshops. The workshop I teach is research-based and content is provided by NAMI Maine, so it meets the requirement of LD 609 that all school employees have at least 90 minutes of Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training. Note, however, these workshops are open to all.

Publications and Writing have, I’ll admit, suffered seriously since early spring. I had hoped to release a book this fall but slid it to the back burner in lieu of other priorities driven by COVID-19. I think we’ve all recently had the opportunity learn, as the saying goes, “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans!”

Youth Resources

NAMI Maine recently announced two programs designed to help young people through these challenging times.

Starting August 5, 2020, NAMI is hosting a Young Adult Connection Recovery Support Group for individuals ages 16-24 struggling with their mental health! This group will be hosted via Zoom on the first Wednesday of each month from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. You can learn more about this and many other support groups at www.namimaine.org/RemoteSupportGroups.

Teens can talk about their feelings and get support from another young person 7 days a week through the Teen Text Support Line at (207) 515-8398. The Text Line is staffed by individuals under 23 years of age and is designed for young adults ages 14 – 20 years old. The Support Line is available every day 12 pm – 10 pm.

Please note, the Teen Text Support Line is not a crisis line. If you believe that you or someone you know could be in crisis, please do not hesitate to connect with these local and national resources:

Maine’s Statewide Crisis Line: (888) 568-1112 (call or text)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 
(or online chat here)
National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

Remember, you do not have to be suicidal to call or text. Getting support early is the right thing to do and the information you share with the crisis worker will remain confidential unless your safety is in question.

ANother great workshop!

We recently had another great Suicide Awareness and Prevention Workshop… made possible in a large part by the Corinna United Methodist Church–they hosted the workshop and even provided coffee and snacks!

Best of all everyone who attended agreed or strongly agreed after the workshop with these statements:

  • “I feel more comfortable talking about suicide with others…
  • “I feel more confident I can recognize suicide warning signs and risk factors…
  • “I feel better equipped to offer help to someone who might seem suicidal…

That’s what these workshops are all about–saving lives through awareness, prevention, and intervention.

We’ll be working on the schedule for 2020 soon… if you or your group would like to host a no-cost workshop, please let me know!

Learning Opportunities

Lots of things are coming soon… some (like cold and snow) you probably would rather I don’t mention. But you might like to know about a few learning opportunities that are on the verge of happening!

There are two Substitute Teacher Workshops coming up… one sponsored by MSAD 53 Adult Education in Pittsfield starts on October 1, 2019, and another sponsored by RSU 19 Adult Education starts on Tuesday, October 15, 2019. These workshops will feature my newly published workbook, so don’t miss out!

Don’t forget the on October 8, 2019, at the Corinna United Methodist Church.

For future real estate licensees, I’ll be teaching the Sales Agent Course at Beal College in Bangor… since there’s online work to do, you’ll want to be registered by October 12, 2019

And for those Sales Agents who are ready, I’ll be teaching the Associate Broker Course at Beal College in Bangor… this course also has an online requirement so you’ll want to be registered by October 12, 2019.

For those who remember Snuffy Smith, he’d probably say, “Time’s awastin’!”

These are just a few highlights regarding the courses… if you have any questions don’t hesitate to let me know!