September 2021 Call to Action

The monthly newsletter of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network

Hey everybody-- we cannot believe that we are already halfway through National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. We are super grateful for those who have sponsored or attended any of our regional or statewide events. We would not be the network we are without your support!

Be on the lookout for TSPN mentioned in the media this month, as well! Several articles, podcasts, and social media pushes with TSPN staff & volunteers are out in the world this month, and we'd love for you to check them out. We still have several events coming up this month, as well; check out the list of upcoming events, meetings, and trainings below.

-Misty

In this issue

Statewide event recap

Regional & Statewide Award winners

New hire announcement

Research study & needs assessment survey opportunities

and more!

Thank you so much to all those who were able to attend our 2021 statewide Suicide Prevention Awareness Month event, 2020 Reboot, in Murfreesboro. We were thrilled to see so many of you in person, and we thank you for all your hard work to make this year's event a success. Check out some photos of the event, including our regional and statewide award winners, below.

September 8

September 9

Regional Suicide Prevention Award Winners

Kara Coleman

Southeast Region

Audrey Elion

Memphis/Shelby County Region

Rachael Brooks

Northwest Region

Jaime Harper

Mid-Cumberland Region

Deidra Goins

South Central Region

Janie Mabrey

Upper Cumberland Region

Other RSPA winners:

Jason Abernathy

Northeast Region

Nathan Wray

East Region

Phillip Barham

Southwest Region

Special congratulations goes out to Janie Mabrey of the Upper Cumberland region, winner of the 2021 Madge and Ken Tullis, MD Suicide Prevention Award.

Statewide Suicide Prevention Award Winners

Upper Cumberland Development District (pictured)

Community Partner

Brittany Willis

Intrastate Departmental Group Partner

The Tullahoma News

Media Partner

September is only halfway over!

We still have several events across the state planned over the next few weeks for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Check out our calendar of upcoming events below or visit tspn.org/events.

TSPN is excited to welcome new staff member Bryan Flanery to the team. Bryan will serve as TSPN's Mid-Cumberland Regional Director.

Bryan Flanery is an Army Veteran and national speaker. During a deployment to Afghanistan, Bryan was injured when the vehicle he was traveling in rolled down a ravine. After suffering multiple injuries, and completing multiple surgeries, Bryan found himself in a dark place of hopelessness. In 2012 Bryan attempted to end his life.

What was unclear at the time was that this attempt to end his pain would ignite into passion. Upon separating from the military Bryan began working with a non-profit serving military families struggling with unseen wounds of war. Bryan pursued a Bachelor of Social Work from Lipscomb University.

When Bryan isn’t working, he enjoys woodworking, disc golf, coaching his four children in multiple sports, and camping with his family.

Bryan’s excited to join the TSPN team and looks forward to bringing a strong voice throughout the Mid-Cumberland region for suicide prevention and advocacy.

Research study opportunity

One of TSPN's frequent collaborators and trainers, Stephanie Dawn Highsmith-Evans, is a doctoral student in the Mid-Cumberland region. Stephanie is collecting responses for a research study as part of her dissertation. From Stephanie:

Hello TSPN Community,

I am a doctoral student in the Clinical Counseling: Teaching and Supervision program at Trevecca Nazarene University and a LPC-MHSP in Tennessee. I am conducting a study on mental health professionals who provide counseling services to individuals in need (including clients who are at-risk of suicide). If you wouldn’t mind, please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

See below for eligibility requirements and additional information:

--You must be a mental health professional who has at least a master’s degree in counseling, social work, psychology, or some other closely related field.

--You must deliver at least eight hours of direct client care (i.e. individual therapy, family therapy, and/or group therapy via in person or telehealth) per week.

--You must provide mental health services within the United States of America.

--You must have been employed with your respective organization/group practice for at least one month.

This study has been approved by a human subjects ethics review board. This is a confidential survey completed on a secure data-encrypted website (SurveyMonkey). This survey takes approximately 20-25 minutes to complete.

As an incentive to complete the study, you may choose to be entered into a drawing for one of four $25 Amazon gift cards. For more information, click the following link OR copy and paste the link into your browser:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SDHEvans-TSPN

Please do not share the above link with anyone outside of the intended recipients.

Thank you!

This research study is open through the end of September. Reach out to Stephanie directly with any questions about participating in the survey.

The Tennessee Department of Health's Suicide Prevention Program recently announced that the rate of suicide in Tennessee decreased slightly in 2020. From the program:

"Recently finalized data released by the Tennessee Department of Health shows that the rate of deaths by suicide across the state decreased from 17.9 per 100,000 in 2019 to 17.7 per 100,000 in 2020. The number of deaths by suicide in 2020 was 1,220, which is the same number of deaths by suicide reported for 2019. However, the actual population of Tennessee increased by 81,666 people between 2019 and 2020, thus causing a decrease in the overall rate of suicide death for the state."

TSPN will be receiving a more full set of data on 2020 suicides in Tennessee soon. Stay tuned for more data updates.

Suicide prevention needs assessment survey

In partnership with Centerstone Research Institute, the Tennessee Department of Health is conducting a needs assessment survey to help identify gaps in suicide prevention programs and services across the state. The intent of the survey is to determine: (a) what is needed to reduce suicide risk and (b) how agencies collaborate to meet the mental health needs of Tennesseans. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete. Please complete the survey before the end of business on Friday, October 8.

To complete TDH’s 2021 Suicide Prevention Needs Assessment Survey, please go here:

https://centerstone.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3ghFw5vlvNb2gJM

Please contact Brittany Willis, Suicide Prevention Program Director (brittany.willis@tn.gov) if you have any questions about the survey. We appreciate your time and support of suicide prevention in Tennessee!