Dare to Care: Students and Suicide Prevention - Part 1

Roxboro House Roundtables

Dare to Care: Students and Suicide Prevention - Part 1 Lawrence Katz Memorial Lecture presented by the Arlen Specter Center (audio of keynote and panel discussion) - Suicide prevention is a crucial issue on campuses across the nation. - Suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college students. - Nearly 4,000 people age 15-24 die by suicide each year in the United States. - According to the JED Foundation, half of college students have had suicidal thoughts. - Surveys suggest an increase in overall student emotional distress in recent years. ? What are the signs and what you can do to prevent suicides? ? How can we address this critical issue on campus? Moderator: Maiken Scott, MA, Host of "The Pulse" a weekly WHYY radio show/podcast about health, science and innovation. Formerly, Behavioral Health Reporter, NPR Panelists: Keynoter: Matthew Wintersteen, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of Research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson University (Center City)/Jefferson Medical College. Currently, he is working on a study funded by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) designed to assess parent, adolescent, and family predictors of suicidal behavior in high-risk youth, and is involved in many other research endeavors and projects related to suicide prevention Meghan K. O’Meara, Director, Counseling Services, Jefferson University (East Falls Campus) Nicole Johnson, Ph.D., LPC, CAADC, CCDP-D -- part-time faculty member, Community and Trauma Counseling Program, Jefferson University (East Falls), has over 16 years of experience working in the behavioral health care system in Philadelphia and surrounding counties; has served in a variety of roles: Therapist, Clinical Supervisor, Unit Manager, Clinical Coordinator, Accreditation Manager and Program Director Kimberly Riordan, first year Community and Trauma Counseling graduate student at Jefferson University--Kimberly is the co-founder and president of the campus chapter of Active Minds, a mental health awareness and advocacy organization dedicated to empowering students and encouraging help-seeking