Suicide Prevention for Non-Clinicians

Sponsor: New Hampshire Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association

This training is scheduled to be held in person; however, we reserve the right to offer it virtually based on public health conditions and CDC Advisories.

PRESENTATION: Troubling statistics indicate that death by suicide is rising at an alarming rate and increasingly impacting all racial/ethnic and age groups. Yet, suicide is a preventable public health issue. Half of those who died by suicide received health care services in the year prior to their death and half of these received services within 4 weeks of their death. For over three-quarters (76 %) of those patients, fewer than one-quarter (24 %) had a mental health diagnosis. In communities of color, cultural factors combined with race-related stressors known to negatively impact mental health present special challenges. Understanding the stressors and hopeless that lead people to consider suicide and connecting them to the appropriate help can save lives. Well-trained non-clinicians can save lives. They do so by recognizing and appropriately responding when a person is in crisis, and through providing culturally tailored assessment, education, and intervention about suicide for the communities they are entrusted to serve. As a result of this training participants will be able to:

• Increase understanding of the role of non-clinicians in suicide prevention; 
• Understand the conditions which raise vulnerability to suicide; 
• Recognize warning signs that a person is at increased risk of suicide;
• Examine suicide trends in Black, Latinx, Asian, and White communities; and 
• Learn strategies for culturally responsive suicide prevention. 

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:  James Figueiredo, M.Ed. has for over the last two decades developed and delivered trainings on cultural competency, suicide prevention, HIV and STIs, chronic disease management, and leadership development. He serves as Director of Education & Interprofessional Development at the Center for Health Impact in Worcester, Massachusetts where he oversees the implementation of suicide prevention workshops and community health worker certification courses. Prior to joining CHI, he served Director of Health Education & Access at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School affiliated hospital and public health system based in Cambridge, MA. At CHA he oversaw multicultural outreach initiatives supported by over 50 community health educators. He also served as a visiting lecturer at Tufts University where he provided instruction on 3-credit courses on public health related topics. He holds a Master of Education degree from Harvard University and a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from Boston University School of Management. He most enjoys spending time with his spouse and children on backpacking trips. He aspires to be a coffee grower, avocado farmer, and beekeeper when he retires.

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