(INDIANAPOLIS) — Health care professionals and advocates will meet in Valparaiso at the sixth annual Indiana Suicide Prevention conference, to discuss ways to reduce the suicide rate in Indiana. The theme is Increasing Connectedness and the Will to Live: Strengthening Ties Between Families, Organizations and Communities
Since its inception in 2014, this annual conference has been an important forum for sharing best practices, key research findings and policy updates in the suicide prevention field. Additionally, the purpose of the conference is to create more awareness about suicide and suicide prevention efforts through speakers, breakout sessions and trainings. The conference will enable attendees to create a suicide prevention plan, address the issues of bullying among youth, enhance connectedness with LGBTQ+ communities and better understand the elements of the public health approach to suicide prevention.
Among the presenters is keynote speaker, Academy Award nominated actress and mental health advocate, Mariel Hemingway. Hemingway speaks often of her family’s struggles with mental illnesses and suicide. Also speaking is Lorenzo Lewis, founder/CEO of The Confess Project. Lewis works to reduce mental health stigma and suicide through his grassroots efforts while visiting barber shops across the country.
The conference will be held on Friday, Aug. 2, 2019 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (CT), at Valparaiso University’s Harre Union, 1509 Chapel Dr., Valparaiso, Ind. A two-day pre-conference that provides applied suicide intervention skills training to participants will be held July 31 and Aug. 1. ASIST is an evidence-based suicide prevention training and is on the approved list of suicide prevention trainings that is credited toward the completion and renewal of an Indiana teacher’s license.
For more information and to register for the conference, go to www.purplepass.com/ispn2019. For more information on suicide prevention in Indiana, visit here.
