CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
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Please Note: We are currently in the process of finalizing our schedule, Details below will be updated as they are solidified.
This conference will be held in a hybrid format with both in-person and virtual experiences. Virtual attendees will receive an email with instructions on how to attend. All attendees will have access to recordings of all sessions following the conference. This program has been approved for 12 hours the day of the conference and up to 25.5 hours total should participants continue to view sessions online following the conference. SCHEDULE OVERVIEW - For detailed descriptions of each session scroll down |
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Thursday, October 19
8:00 - 8:30 AM Registration & Breakfast 8:30 - 8:45 AM Welcome - Nikki Kontz, LMSW - Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition President 8:45 - 9:00 AM - State of the State - Josh Stegemeyer 9:00 - 10:30 AM -
10:45 -12:15 PM - William Beverly, , Ph.D., LMFT, CCHP - Promoting Resiliency & Wellness through Mindfulness 12:15 - 1:00 PM - Lunch 1:15 - 2:45 PM - Breakout Sessions
3:00 -4:30 pm - Breakout Sessions
Friday, October 20 8:00 - 8:30 AM - Registration & Breakfast 8:30 - 10:00 AM - Melinda Moore, Ph. D., MA - Post-traumatic Growth After Suicide Loss Across the Life Span 10:00 - 10:15 AM - Break 10:15 - 11:45 AM - Stan Collins - Planning for Living: Firearm Suicide Prevention 12:00 - 1:00 PM - Lunch 1:15 - 2:45 PM - Breakout Sessions
Closing Session - Cottonwood Ballroom 3:00 - 3:30 - Clayton Echard - 180 Belief 3:30 - 4:30 - Andrew Ecker & Monica Patton - The Heart of Life |
Thank you to our 2023 Sponsors
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Session Descriptions
Thursday, October 19
8:00 - 8:30 AM Registration & Breakfast
8:30 - 8:45 AM Welcome - Nikki Kontz, LMSW - Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition President
8:45 - 9:00 AM - State of the State - Josh Stegemeyer
9:00 - 10:30 AM - Derek J. Lee, MRC, CRC, DBTC, LPCC-S - The Hope Institute: Intentionally Changing the Landscape of Suicide Prevention
Suicidal crisis and suicidal ideation have become common and research shows that we are not training our mental health providers adequately to deal with it, let alone treat it. While approximately 40% of our youth struggle with mental health each year, 20% struggle with serious thoughts of suicide and 10% of our youth make an attempt. To assist those struggling with suicide, we need to understand how to treat and what treatment actually means for them. This means the development of new models, as we know treatment as usual has not been effective. The Hope Institute model begins a paradigm shift from triage to treatment, with measurable outcomes and extremely low recidivism rates, and the ability to achieve this in an outpatient setting that allows an individual minimal disruption in their life.
10:30 - 10:45 AM - Break
10:45 -12:15 PM - William Beverly, Ph.D., LMFT, CCHP - Promoting Resiliency & Wellness through Mindfulness
Mindfulness-based interventions help individuals become more aware of thoughts, feelings, emotions, surroundings, and situations, and to reduce automatic emotional responses. Such interventions have been shown to decrease suicidal ideation, depression and anxiety, and promote resiliency. This workshop describes a 6-session mindfulness-based counseling group that was offered to community college students struggling with stress and mental health issues. At the end of this brief intervention, students reported a statistically significant decrease in stress, improved emotional well-being, and ability to cope with difficulties in their life. These six sessions, which include a brief outcome measure, contain material that is public domain and can be replicated by other helping professionals providing counseling/mental health services.
12:15 - 1:00 PM - Lunch
1:15 - 2:45 PM - Breakout Sessions
3:00 -4:30 pm - Breakout Sessions
Friday, October 20
8:00 - 8:30 AM - Registration & Breakfast
8:30 - 10:00 AM - Melinda Moore, Ph. D., MA - Post-traumatic Growth After Suicide Loss Across the Life Span
Research on bereavement, especially suicide bereavement, has focused on the psychopathology of this loss. A new area of positive psychology, Post-traumatic Growth (PTG), offers another vehicle for understanding the consequences of these experiences by investigating the possibilities for personal growth within the context of any sudden and traumatic death. In studies of college students and bereaved veterans and military family members, PTG was demonstrated to co-exist with suicidality, depression, anxiety, and Post-traumatic Stress, however, those who were engaging in activities that facilitate PTG demonstrated better scores across all mental health indicators as well as higher levels of PTG.
10:00 - 10:15 AM - Break
10:15 - 11:45 AM - Stan Collins - Planning for Living: Firearm Suicide Prevention
The keynote presentation will provide an overview of best practices, research and guiding principles for utilizing means safety for suicide prevention. Means Safety for suicide prevention refers to strategies that can be taken to reduce and/or restrict access to mechanisms that can be used for a suicide attempt. During the presentation, attendees will be introduced to various categories of means safety for suicide prevention both at the personal and professional levels. The presentation will also incorporate a variety of personal experiences and stories from the speaker’s own life and individuals he has supported during his career and personal life.
12:00 - 1:00 PM - Lunch
1:15 - 2:45 PM - Breakout Sessions
Closing Session - Cottonwood Ballroom
3:00 - 3:30 - Clayton Echard - 180 Belief
This former NFL Player and lead from season 24 of The Bachelor shares his experiences and unique perspective on the impact of social media, the difficulties of men dealing with body dysmorphia and how to move past those struggles into a healthy lifestyle. Clayton will share the 6 key components of his strategy to getting a better grasp on his mental health. Providing resources and inspiration for men in our communities.
3:30 - 4:30 - Andrew Ecker & Monica Patton - The Heart of Life
Andrew and Monica of Drumming Sounds have 30 years of combined community service in helping people live successful lives. The evidenced based group medical intervention they have developed known as Drumming Sounds has been deployed at conferences, festivals and treatment facilities for years and is disrupting the causality of suicide. We hope to share this work with the general assembly of the HOPE conference along with the stories of overcoming that fuel the fire of our mission and work in ending the epidemic of suicide in our communities.
8:00 - 8:30 AM Registration & Breakfast
8:30 - 8:45 AM Welcome - Nikki Kontz, LMSW - Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition President
8:45 - 9:00 AM - State of the State - Josh Stegemeyer
9:00 - 10:30 AM - Derek J. Lee, MRC, CRC, DBTC, LPCC-S - The Hope Institute: Intentionally Changing the Landscape of Suicide Prevention
Suicidal crisis and suicidal ideation have become common and research shows that we are not training our mental health providers adequately to deal with it, let alone treat it. While approximately 40% of our youth struggle with mental health each year, 20% struggle with serious thoughts of suicide and 10% of our youth make an attempt. To assist those struggling with suicide, we need to understand how to treat and what treatment actually means for them. This means the development of new models, as we know treatment as usual has not been effective. The Hope Institute model begins a paradigm shift from triage to treatment, with measurable outcomes and extremely low recidivism rates, and the ability to achieve this in an outpatient setting that allows an individual minimal disruption in their life.
10:30 - 10:45 AM - Break
10:45 -12:15 PM - William Beverly, Ph.D., LMFT, CCHP - Promoting Resiliency & Wellness through Mindfulness
Mindfulness-based interventions help individuals become more aware of thoughts, feelings, emotions, surroundings, and situations, and to reduce automatic emotional responses. Such interventions have been shown to decrease suicidal ideation, depression and anxiety, and promote resiliency. This workshop describes a 6-session mindfulness-based counseling group that was offered to community college students struggling with stress and mental health issues. At the end of this brief intervention, students reported a statistically significant decrease in stress, improved emotional well-being, and ability to cope with difficulties in their life. These six sessions, which include a brief outcome measure, contain material that is public domain and can be replicated by other helping professionals providing counseling/mental health services.
12:15 - 1:00 PM - Lunch
1:15 - 2:45 PM - Breakout Sessions
- Jason Corthell, BAS, FSCEO, CFE - Implementing Mental Wellness Programs in your Organization
This speaking event will provide a basis for organizations, not just first responders, in how to customize and implement mental wellness programs tailored for their organizations. The speakers have first hand experiences with mental wellness deficits and use that as a motivating force to provide program implementation guidance and program instruction to businesses and first responder organizations alike.
- Laklieshia Izzard, Ed.D, LPC, NCC, ACS - Why are Young Black Males Ending their life by Suicide?
Young Black Males are ending their life by Suicide at an alarming rate. These rates increased dramatically over the past two decades. A young Black male is easily perceived by dominant society as a collection of negative stereotypes rather than a whole thinking feeling human being. Young Black Males are more susceptible to the mental health effects of racial trauma over time that can result in Suicidal Ideation, Depression, PTSD, Anger Issues, Aggression, Risk behaviors and more. Together we must hold the space to address why young black males are ending their life by suicide at alarming rates. The urging current mental health needs of young black males discussed in this presentation result from mental health disparities, racial trauma, mass incarceration, genocide view factors, and the lack of cultural humility.
- Josh Stegemeyer - The 2023-2025 Arizona Suicide Prevention Action Plan (SPAP)
An in-depth look at Arizona’s efforts to prevent suicide and an introduction to the 3-part, 2023-2025 Arizona Suicide Prevention Action Plan. During this 90-minute breakout session, participants will be provided a wrap-up on the 2022-2023 Arizona Suicide Prevention Action Plan (SPAP) and a chance to provide critical feedback. The second portion of the session will present National-level strategic guidance and Arizona data to provide context for the 2023-2025 SPAP. During the final portion of the presentation, the new 3-part SPAP, as well as the major components, will be summarized and reviewed. - Nikki Kontz. LMSW & Jennifer Connor - Caring Contacts, Caring Contacts: Creating Connections After a Suicide Crisis
As more systems adopt the Zero Suicide approach to health care systems, making sure that evidence-
based practices are being used system and population-wide are key. Within the Zero Suicide
Framework, the seventh element of “Transition” is key to the ongoing success of treatment as well as
creating a bridge of support and intervention following discharges. It is critical for the individual’s safety
as we know ⅓ of individuals do not receive any mental health care at all during the first month after
discharge and that the first day and first week are noted as particularly high-risk periods. Caring
Contacts is recognized as a best-practice approach to this transition period.
Teen Lifeline’s Caring Contacts program aims to increase connectedness, help-seeking behaviors, and
successful community reintegration in order to reduce future hospitalizations among the adolescent
population in Arizona. Research has highlighted the importance of social connectedness as a protective
factor influencing post hospitalization adjustment of adolescents who have experienced suicidal ideation
(Czyz et. al., 2012). Furthermore, research has shown the only significant predictor of post
hospitalization suicide attempts is connectedness with peers (Czyz et. al., 2012).
Teen Lifeline is uniquely positioned with its teen peer counselors trained at crisis intervention, to
provide this additional support to teens once release from hospitalization or emergency services
following a suicide attempt or psychiatric emergency. In this new pilot program, Teen Lifeline’s Peer
Counselors send messages via phone call or text message over the 12-month period following the teen’s
discharge that includes a positive messaging, Teen Lifeline’s hotline information, and applicable
resources based on the client’s personal information. This intervention aims to increase the teen’s
feelings of belongingness and connectedness by 50%, increase knowledge of community resources by
100%, and increase willingness to seek help by 50% within the first three months of beginning Caring
Contacts. At the six month mark, the intervention aims to improve the teen’s treatment/medication
compliance by 20%. Lastly, once a year has passed since beginning this program, this program aims to
reduce future hospitalizations by 75%, suicide attempts by 75% and suicide deaths by 100%.
3:00 -4:30 pm - Breakout Sessions
- Derek J. Lee, MRC, CRC, DBTC, LPCC-S - Addressing Suicidal Ideation: Individual Treatment is Not One Size Fits All
Roughly 15.2 million Americans struggle with suicidal ideation every year and suicide is the second leading cause of death for our youth. Nearly every counselor will interface with suicidal clients, yet research shows that most counselors do not feel adequately trained in working with this population. Additionally, most counselors don't know what to do or where to refer them, sustaining the traditional route to the emergency department. The session will provide information on systems and evidence-based practices for working with suicidal clients. It will also explore what an evidence-based system could look like to support those most in need. - Wallace Hudson - Suicide and the Transgender Community
Members of the transgender community, especially transgender youth, are at a much higher risk of suicide than their cisgender peers. Data shows us that this risk drops drastically when transgender people are in communities that actively advocate and support them and their experiences. In this training, we will review terminology around gender identity, expression, and attribution; statistics around suicide, mental health, and the transgender community; and best practices for creating a supportive community for the transgender people in your life. Come with questions! - Nicki Bartram, MBA, MC, LPC & Oscar Arambula - The Military/Veteran Mental Health Landscape
Introduce mental health barriers in the military/veteran population and how, when coupled with existing issues, they can create debilitating circumstances. - Paula McCall, Ph.D.- Talking About Suicide: Building Open and Meaningful Conversations with Our Youth
Whether discussing a challenge, conducting a suicide risk assessment, or having a general conversation about mental health, it is critical for adults to hold validating and genuine spaces for talking about suicide with our youth. This workshop will address the underlying myths that result in avoidance of conversations about suicide with our youth while also providing realistic approaches to engaging in meaningful conversations. Strategies for having direct, validating, and supportive conversations will be discussed, along with ways to respond to a youth who shares suicidal ideation or intent. Roles as a parent, community member, teacher, and mental health provider will be addressed, with a focus also on the value of adult modeling in conversations. Strategies to further develop rapport and encourage honesty in youth suicide risk assessment interviews also will be included.
Friday, October 20
8:00 - 8:30 AM - Registration & Breakfast
8:30 - 10:00 AM - Melinda Moore, Ph. D., MA - Post-traumatic Growth After Suicide Loss Across the Life Span
Research on bereavement, especially suicide bereavement, has focused on the psychopathology of this loss. A new area of positive psychology, Post-traumatic Growth (PTG), offers another vehicle for understanding the consequences of these experiences by investigating the possibilities for personal growth within the context of any sudden and traumatic death. In studies of college students and bereaved veterans and military family members, PTG was demonstrated to co-exist with suicidality, depression, anxiety, and Post-traumatic Stress, however, those who were engaging in activities that facilitate PTG demonstrated better scores across all mental health indicators as well as higher levels of PTG.
10:00 - 10:15 AM - Break
10:15 - 11:45 AM - Stan Collins - Planning for Living: Firearm Suicide Prevention
The keynote presentation will provide an overview of best practices, research and guiding principles for utilizing means safety for suicide prevention. Means Safety for suicide prevention refers to strategies that can be taken to reduce and/or restrict access to mechanisms that can be used for a suicide attempt. During the presentation, attendees will be introduced to various categories of means safety for suicide prevention both at the personal and professional levels. The presentation will also incorporate a variety of personal experiences and stories from the speaker’s own life and individuals he has supported during his career and personal life.
12:00 - 1:00 PM - Lunch
1:15 - 2:45 PM - Breakout Sessions
- Melinda Moore, Ph.D. MA - Facilitating Post-traumatic Growth: What I’ve Learned
In this breakout session, you will learn about what clinical research indicates is working and what strategies clinicians are using to help approach, identify, and label Post-traumatic Growth. This group will focus on practical applications in the clinical setting, as well as how to utilize what organizations and nonprofits serving first responders and veterans have developed to facilitate PTG among the individuals they serve. - Stan Collins - Messaging Matters, Principles of Effective Communication for Suicide Prevention
How we communicate about suicide and prevention shapes our views, opinions and behaviors. During the presentation attendees will learn how to safely and effectively communicate to support suicide prevention. Attendees will explore criteria to evaluate and create messages that not only "do no harm" but more importantly focus on hope, support, and prevention in order to help people find their reasons for living. The presentation will also offer strategies for elevating the voices of youth and peers by bringing their wisdom, knowledge and power to messaging efforts. In addition, attendees will be introduced to the Directing Change Program and Film Contest where youth create 60-second films on suicide prevention and mental health. - Sue Palmer - Walking the Labyrinth: A step-by-Step Journey of Self Care
How can an ancient, sacred pathway be relevant to my daily experience in the 21st Century? How can walking a circuitous path, alone or in community, benefit me emotionally, physically or spiritually? Why are labyrinths appearing in cancer centers, hospitals, college campuses, and assisted living facilities? In this session we will learn how walking the labyrinth can be used as a means of meditation, relaxation, and healing. We will unlock how to use the labyrinth in times of grief and loss, and other life transitions so that we can move forward with hope. We will explore using the labyrinth as a spiritual practice, regardless of what faith group we belong to. This session will be experiential, giving every participant the chance to walk the labyrinth and begin using this sacred space as a regular practice.
- Desiree Green, MPH, MS - Tapping Into Your Inner Peace with a Guided Meditation and Sound Bath
This is a soothing guided meditation that will calm your nervous system, melt away stress, and allow you to find inner peace and to build resilience.. By taking a pause and bringing mindfulness into your life as a helper and caregiver, you can train yourself to recognize your own resilience, strength, and peace, ultimately letting your mind and body know that all is well, and everything is okay.
Closing Session - Cottonwood Ballroom
3:00 - 3:30 - Clayton Echard - 180 Belief
This former NFL Player and lead from season 24 of The Bachelor shares his experiences and unique perspective on the impact of social media, the difficulties of men dealing with body dysmorphia and how to move past those struggles into a healthy lifestyle. Clayton will share the 6 key components of his strategy to getting a better grasp on his mental health. Providing resources and inspiration for men in our communities.
3:30 - 4:30 - Andrew Ecker & Monica Patton - The Heart of Life
Andrew and Monica of Drumming Sounds have 30 years of combined community service in helping people live successful lives. The evidenced based group medical intervention they have developed known as Drumming Sounds has been deployed at conferences, festivals and treatment facilities for years and is disrupting the causality of suicide. We hope to share this work with the general assembly of the HOPE conference along with the stories of overcoming that fuel the fire of our mission and work in ending the epidemic of suicide in our communities.