Our Stories

Why is this work meaningful for you?​

Like many of my team members, my work with the Suicide Prevention Institute is both personal and professional. My birth mother and brother live with chronic suicidal thoughts and have both made multiple attempts. In 30 years of clinical practice, I’ve treated many people experiencing acute suicidal crisis or chronic suicidal ideation as well as multiple survivors of a loved one’s suicide. Their stories fuel my passion for this work.

How does your passion translate into your work?​​

I’m passionate about talking about suicide without judgment or shame and treating the drivers of suicide. I’m passionate about training providers to feel more comfortable talking about suicide risk and reducing barriers to best practices in suicide assessment, prevention, and treatment.

What motivates you to help SPI make an impact?​

I’m motivated by the memory of the men who died by suicide in the woods, having been silent about their hopelessness and despair. The ways we’ve been exploring the long reach of suicide isn’t working, and I want to be a part of changing the way we recognize, treat, and support individuals at risk of suicide.

What’s an example of how SPI’s work changed someone’s life?​

As the lead for Coping with Long Term Active Suicide Program in primary care pilot, I’ve seen it positively impact lives. One male participant in his mid-20’s struggled with suicidal thoughts and had rehearsed with a firearm in his home. There were four unsecured firearms in the home he shared with a family member who was unaware of his suicidal risk. The first meeting focused on risk assessment and safety planning, including Counseling on Access to Lethal Means. He involved his significant other and we collaboratively created a plan for the immediate removal of the firearms and an honest discussion with his family members, which allowed for greater support. This critical pause allowed him time to address his mental health needs and gain critical tools to manage moments of heightened risk.

 

Why is this work meaningful for you?​

I help trainees understand suicide risk assessments, safety planning and crisis interventions. I also implement those skills in my own work. Not only am I more confident and effective in navigating mental health crises among student-athletes, but I’m also really proud that the up-and-coming clinicians feel the same after our training and supervision.

How does your passion translate into your work?​​

One of my passions is working with athletic populations. Many psychologists and therapists who work with athletes primarily focus on mental performance rather than underlying psychiatric concerns. My desire is to develop an expertise in crisis interventions to help reduce the risk of suicide in athletes. In their most difficult moments, I strive to ensure athletes receive the compassionate clinical care they need.

What motivates you to help SPI make an impact?​

Our impact is not just limited to athletes and suicide. Deaths in children and adolescents due to firearms has doubled in the past few years. This speaks to the importance of safe storage and the role that the Suicide Prevention Institute plays in firearm safety education and distribution of gun locks. Our mission is unique in part because we bring together an array of stakeholders across multiple settings. It ensures that we address underlying concerns through a multidisciplinary lens while advocating for and implementing evidence-based solutions.

Ultimately, what does SPI’s impact look like?​​

Simply put, the Suicide Prevention Institute can help save lives. A key part of that solution is decreasing the stigma related to discussions around suicide and mental health. That is why we lead with compassion and empathy at every step. The SPI team is deeply committed to approaching this work by promoting a culture of care, vulnerability, and openness. That is how we can provide timely support, education, and resources to reduce suicide rates.

Why is this work meaningful for you?​

I completed my APA clinical psychology internship during the 2021/22 academic year at a large state school in the rural south. It was the school’s first year back after the pandemic, and no one knew what to expect in terms of impact on student mental health. Through the year we saw higher acuity than ever before. Senior clinicians regularly remarked at how high the rates of crisis appointments were, more than they’d ever seen. Throughout the year, over half of my caseload had suicidality, several of my patients made suicide attempts, and our campus experienced several deaths by suicide. As a counseling center, we were overwhelmed and had a shared sense of helplessness in how to respond to such a significant crisis with our limited resources. That year ignited a passion in me and commitment toward evidence-based efforts of suicide prevention and intervention. I also learned the importance of working within a multidisciplinary team. A mentor that year would continually remind me that when things feel hopeless, “expand the team, no one can do this alone.”

How does your passion translate into your work?​​

When I joined the faculty at UNC about a year ago, I was thrilled and honored to be asked to lead the development of the postdoctoral program. As part of this phenomenal and supportive team, I get to work directly toward development of efficient, cost-effective prevention and intervention strategies. And I get to help train the next generation of suicidologists.

What motivates you to help SPI make an impact?​

We are experiencing a mental health crisis in a time like no other. There is extraordinarily heightened stress following the pandemic and continually decreasing resources. It gives me so much hope and energy to be part of this team of brilliant scientists and clinicians to find ways to better support our patients.

What’s an example of how SPI’s work changed someone’s life?​

One of the most meaningful aspects of being part of the Suicide Prevention Institute has been the supportive team. I conducted an evaluation with a young adult patient who presented to the eating disorders clinic (my primary clinical appointment). As part of the interview, I routinely assess suicidality and this patient disclosed imminent risk of harm to herself. Given her specific plan, lethality, intent, and limited social support, it became clear she was not safe to go home. However, I had never initiated hospitalization in the state of North Carolina. The patient was upset at needing to stay, and I needed to act quickly and sensitively. I called one of my SPI colleagues, a psychiatrist, who walked away from her own work to quickly come to my office with the appropriate paperwork and walked me through the steps of initiating hospitalization. I reached out to another SPI colleague who was the attending in the psychiatry ER that day and was able to share more details of the case and ensure a quick warm handoff. Ultimately, with the extraordinary help and support of my SPI teammates, we were able to facilitate hospitalization within a couple of hours, and ultimately ensure this patient remained alive and had necessary supports to address her chronic suicidality.

Why is this work meaningful for you?​

I’m motivated by a deep sense of compassion and desire to make life worth living for all young people. I’m passionate about creating safe, inclusive and supportive environments for them. I want to prevent suicide by creating interventions that work for young people. I’m also motivated by the personal experiences of friends and community members who have lost youth by suicide.

How does your passion translate into your work?​​

As a therapist, I was called upon by pastors to provide postvention debriefing services to youth following a suicide death of someone in their church. I started collecting obituaries and programs of these young people to make sure their names were remembered. This gives me motivation to keep going with this work. I have the obituaries on my dresser and look at these daily for inspiration. These young people give me hope to fight for other young people. These experiences led me to suicide prevention research. I specifically focus on developing family-focused interventions to prevent youth suicide.

What is the impact of SPI’s work in the community?​​

Suicide Prevention Institute received over 125 applications for the inaugural North Carolina Youth Advisory Council and 107 applications for a Community of Practice and Education Board. This is evidence that the community is interested in helping to promote youth wellness and suicide prevention.