Whitney Fishburn
The Papageno Effect: Harnessing Positive ...
The Papageno Effect: Harnessing Positive Storytelling for Hope and Recovery in Suicide Prevention
Whitney Fishburn
Want to combat mental health stigma? Don't say ...
Want to combat mental health stigma? Don't say ‘stigma’!
suicide prevention, workplace mental health
Sally Spencer-Thomas
I Didn't Get the Jock Genes—Why I Still Find ...

Growing up in a family of natural athletes, I always felt like the odd one out, struggling to find my place in the world of sports. But when I discovered running, everything changed. This blog explores how running became more than just exercise for me—it became a powerful tool for self-care, resilience, and finding peace.

I Didn't Get the Jock Genes—Why I Still Find Running an Important Part of My Self-Care Strategy

Social Justice

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7 Key Reasons Why Lived Experience Matters in Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention

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7 Key Reasons Why Lived Experience Matters in Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention

Lived experience is the heartbeat of suicide prevention, breathing life into data and transforming theoretical strategies into real-world impact. By centering the voices of those who have navigated suicidal thoughts, behaviors, or grief, we gain insights that go beyond statistics—insights that are rooted in the emotional, social, and personal realities of the human experience. Incorporating lived experience ensures that suicide prevention efforts not only address the complexities of mental health but do so in a way that is empathetic, adaptable, and truly person-centered. These voices bring richness to our understanding, fostering innovative, humane approaches that lead to genuine healing and change.

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11 Tips to Get Ready for National Suicide Prevention Week/World Suicide Prevention Day

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11 Tips to Get Ready for National Suicide Prevention Week/World Suicide Prevention Day

This year, for World Suicide Prevention Day, the theme is “Creating Hope through Action.” For too long we’ve been stuck in “awareness raising” — a necessary but not sufficient condition for change.

It’s time to take action. Here are 10 tips for an impactful National Suicide Prevention Week (September 5-11)/World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10th) - action steps you can take with you to impact your community all year long.

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Part 3: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- Acting in Solidarity as a Way Forward

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Part 3: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- Acting in Solidarity as a Way Forward

Cross-cutting and intersecting identities add richness to our suicide prevention movement; however, in order to accomplish solidarity, we need to be willing to create safe spaces for listening and empathy. As part of this process we must acknowledge that identity fluidity is also expected as people move through various life experiences. Across both lived experiences and academic ways of understanding suicide, we have an opportunity to learn by removing judgment and blame, and seeking compassion — especially when we have been on the opposite sides of fear.

Five Steps in Building Solidarity in the Suicide Prevention Movement…

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Part 2: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- Healing from Communal Wounding

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Part 2: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- Healing from Communal Wounding

As the suicide prevention movement has evolved, some of our groups have experienced communal wounding. Communal wounding occurs when generations of the complex systemic oppression and culture level prejudice have been ignored in favor of surface-level activities (van der Watt, 2019). Because we were not sufficiently providing opportunities for all members of the movement to acknowledge these wounds and because many of us did not look into the mirror of our own lived experience, we continued to inflict new sources of harm.

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Part 1: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- What Do We Mean by Solidarity and Why Does it Matter to Suicide Prevention?

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Part 1: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- What Do We Mean by Solidarity and Why Does it Matter to Suicide Prevention?

Solidarity noun sol·i·dar·i·ty | \ ˌsä-lə-ˈder-ə-tē , -ˈda-rə- \. Unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests, objectives, and standards
-Merriam-Webster

“Any movement that hopes to sustain commitment over a period of time must make the construction of collective identity one of its most central tasks.” (Gamson, 1991, p. 27)

“Solidarity…holds great potential for understanding the transformative power…for social justice.” (Rogers & Calle Diaz, 2018, p.64)

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7 Untold Stories of Suicide Prevention and Suicide Grief Support

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7 Untold Stories of Suicide Prevention and Suicide Grief Support

…I don’t really have the chops to be a researcher or the patience to be a clinician, but I often find myself in new territories, listening to people share their insights about living through unimaginable suffering. Then I look to connect partners much smarter than I who can make a difference in alleviating that despair. So, as I am listening, I think to myself, “there are the stories I wish we would talk about more.” 

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From Awareness to Action: Kickstarting a Revolution in Suicide Prevention with Social Courage

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From Awareness to Action: Kickstarting a Revolution in Suicide Prevention with Social Courage

It seems fitting that on this day — July 4th — I should write a little something about kickstarting a revolution.

June was overwhelming for many in my suicide prevention tribe — the scientists, advocates, clinicians, crisis call-takers, peer supporters, and many people with all forms of lived experience with suicide — as many of us were called upon to respond to the seemingness constant barrage of tragic news about suicide and trauma.