Edition 60 | April 2023

Welcome to the April 2023 Office of Suicide Prevention newsletter!

Silen Wellington

Colorado-National Collaborative partners at Alliance for Suicide Prevention (ASP) have taken a unique approach to comprehensive suicide prevention, with dedicated staff positions focused on specific strategies. Their former LGBTQ+ Coordinator, Silen Wellington, has been a crucial member of the team and a leader in LGBTQ+ advocacy for the community. In their tenure, Silen has led a monthly community LGBTQ+ workgroup coordinating LGBTQ+ activities for Larimer County, trained hundreds of participants on How to be a Trusted Adult for LGBTQ+ Youth, and has been featured in multiple interviews, podcasts and a TedTalk including BrainChange - Surviving Suicidality, Ed Gerety’s Navigating the Teen Years podcast on How to Support Teens if They Come Out as LGBTQ, The Third Place podcast on Pronouns and Why They Matter, and so much more! Silen has recently transitioned from ASP to a new leadership position outside of the organization, but has paved the way for LGBTQ+ advocacy in suicide prevention, which calls for a celebration! Thank you Silen for all that you do for equity, suicide prevention and the community.

Do you have a Rockstar Partner in your community that you would like to see featured in our next newsletter? Nominate them here by completing our Rockstar Partner Nomination Form.

🌟NEW🌟 Ask the OSP Community!

Do you have questions for the Office of Suicide Prevention or Colorado suicide prevention community? This new segment of our newsletter will feature the questions our community members are asking and provide space to build connections by sharing stories from across the state.  

Last month we posed: How does your organization talk with partners about affirming LGBTQ+ identities as a component of suicide prevention? Read the response. This month we’re asking “How are you supporting the LGBTQ+ community in your region?”. Submit your EXPERIENCE here. Responses will be summarized and shared in the May 2023 Newsletter. 

Have a question to ask the OSP Community? Submit your QUESTIONS here. 

Past questions and answers will also be available here.

There are only a few weeks left of the first regular session of the 74th General Assembly (Colorado's legislature)! This session convened on January 9, 2023. OSP continues to gear up through another busy legislative session. Please email us if you have any questions or are working on something policy-related that you want to share with the OSP.

Colorado-National Collaborative

The Colorado-National Collaborative has a new CNC for Suicide Prevention information sheet. Click the link to learn more about the CNC, our partners and our goals. 

State Partners

The Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education (CHSE) Grant Program has released their 2023 Capacity Building Mini-Grant Application which is a small funding opportunity of up to $10,000 to support CO public schools, school districts, board of cooperative services, charter schools, or institute charter schools in current or future CHSE. The priority application date of April 15th has past, but applications submitted after this date will still be considered and awarded as funds remain.

The next Zero Suicide Learning Collaborative will be held on 4/27/23. This Learning Collaborative will cover Considerations for Suicide Prevention in Colorado’s Agricultural Communities. Please email conlin.bass@state.co.us to be added to this calendar invite and listserv.

Suicide Prevention Commission

Please join us for the second Quarterly Commission Meeting on Friday, April 28, 2023 from 9:00am to 11:30am. The Commission is proud to offer all Commission Quarterly Meetings with live Spanish interpretation. 

The Colorado Suicide Prevention Commission is excited to announce that we are currently accepting applications for multiple Commissioner seats. The Commission is working towards minimizing the impacts of suicide for all Coloradans. The current open seats are: Law Enforcement, Philanthropic, Colorado Business Community, Interfaith, Tribal Communities Member and Medical Provider or First Responder, please click on the various links to learn more about what the ideal candidate is for each open seat. If you are interested in applying for any of the current Commissioner Seat openings please click here. For more information on what the Commission is and what being a Commissioner entails please click here. 

The information including meeting materials and recording for our first Commission meeting of 2023 can be found here. 

The Suicide Prevention Commission supports multiple workgroups: an Older Adults Workgroup; a Youth-Specific Initiatives Workgroup; the Governor’s Challenge Workgroup to Support Service Members, Veterans, and their Families; and a Postvention Workgroup. Click here to sign up for any of the workgroups. All workgroup materials can be found here. 

The Commission's Postvention Workgroup is currently looking to identify existing suicide postvention written resources in the Spanish language in order to share out these resources with the broader Colorado community. This workgroup recently released the Postvention Resource Gathering Form in both English and Spanish in order to solicit Spanish-translated postvention resources. Please share these with partners, organizations, etc. We would love to have a robust list of postvention materials available in Spanish to share with our communities! 

Please reach out the OSP Director, Lena Heilmann (lena.heilmann@state.co.us) , with any questions.

Training

The next virtual CAMS training will be Wednesday, May 17th, 2023 from 8:30am-4:30pm. Please register here.  

If you are interested in attending a different virtual CAMS training session, please join our interest list.

The Office of Suicide Prevention has updated the instructions for accessing the LivingWorks Start gatekeeper training. Please see this instruction sheet for more details. Please visit the Office of Suicide Prevention’s Training webpage for more information on CAMS, LivingWorks Start, and much more!

Sources of Strength is excited to share the Summer 2023 Train-the-Trainer opportunities with you! In partnership with the Attorney General’s Office, the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) is funding four Train-the-Trainer options across Colorado for elementary, middle, and high school programs! The following training opportunities are available to eligible Colorado participants at no cost. Spots are filling up quickly, so please apply to reserve your seat as soon as possible! Full descriptions of these opportunities are available here. 

Booster Train-the-Trainer (BT4T) event: June 8-9th | Lakewood, CO

Learn more about the June 8-9th Booster T4T here. Register for the BT4T here!

Train-the-Trainer (T4T) event: June 13-16th | Colorado Springs, CO

Learn more about June 13-16 T4T here. Register for the in-person T4T here!

Train-the-Trainer (T4T) event: June 26-29th | Virtual

Learn more about the June 26-29 T4T here. Register for the virtual T4T here!

Elementary Coaches Training: June 5-6th | Loveland, CO

Register for the June 5-6th Coaches Training

Please note: There is an "Upcoming Events" section at the end of the newsletter. If your browser clips this email, please be sure to click "View entire message" to access all of the content!

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

The Colorado Suicide Prevention Commission has approved multiple recommendations (in the approved recommendation to support young adults ages 19-24 and in the approved recommendation to support LGBTQIA2S+ youth and young adults ages 0-24) that name prevention of sexual violence as a way to prevent suicide. 

Responding to Suicidal Crisis: What Every Advocate Needs to Know: Recorded webinar hosted by the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault



Image & further information about sexual violence can be found on the National Sexual Violence Resource Center Website.

Equity

The Trevor Project has published their 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health survey report.

The Trevor Project also recently released two research reports: Mental Health of Black Transgender and Nonbinary Young People and Age of Gender Identity Outness and Suicide Risk.



Moving Beyond Change Efforts: Evidence and Action to Support and Affirm LGBTQI+ Youth: This report provides behavioral health professionals, researchers, policymakers and other audiences with a comprehensive research overview and accurate information about effective and ineffective therapeutic practices related to youth of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.

General

Governor Jared Polis signed HB23-1007 (Higher Education Crisis and Suicide Prevention) into law on March 17th. The bill requires public and private higher education institutions to print Colorado and national crisis and suicide prevention contact information on student identification cards.

SPRC’s new Best Practice Registry (BPR) has launched! The BPR is a resource library of programs and interventions that apply suicide prevention frameworks for specific populations and uses.

Mental Health America’s Mental Health Month Toolkit. This year's theme is Look Around, Look Within.

Students For Research created this Resources for Suicide Prevention list which includes a variety of suicide prevention resources for populations such as post-partum moms, neurodivergent individuals, and many more!

Youth and Young Adults

Association of Recent Violence Encounters With Suicidal Ideation Among Adolescents With Depression: The authors of this recently published study found that recent violence encounters were associated with 1.7 times higher risk for documented suicidal ideation among adolescents with depression.

NAMI released Say It Out Loud — a free virtual card game designed by young people, for young people — that is intended to prompt important conversations about life, relationships and mental health.

Youth committee working to improve access to mental health care: CBS News spoke with members of PCMH’s Youth Committee for Mental Health to discuss ways to improve youth mental health in Colorado.

Partners for Children’s Mental Health Pathway To Suicide Prevention For Primary Care Providers. PCMH offers training and consultation to help practices implement a youth suicide prevention care pathway.

The AAKOMA Project released its 2022 State of Mental Health for Youth of Color, a first-of-its-kind effort to do a deep dive into gaining a basic understanding of the mental health experiences, needs and supports of Youth of Color.

Older Adults

Foundational Competencies in Older Adult Mental Health Online Certificate Program: Experts in geriatric psychiatry, geropsychology, neuropsychology, and clinical social work contributed to the development and peer review of the Foundational Competencies in Older Adult Mental Health Online Certificate Program to ensure that the evidence-based content reflects the knowledge required by a broad range of mental health clinicians. This is a first step in developing competency in older adult mental health. The program is free to access, and CE credits are available for a small fee!

6th Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium. May 11, 2023. Mental health is critical to well-being at every age. Join this free all day, virtual event that will empower aging services professionals with the latest tools to improve the lives of older adults in their communities.

Cross-Pollinated Resources

Emergency Department Visits by Incarcerated Adults for Nonfatal Injuries — United States, 2010–2019. Of note, the higher proportion of assault- and self-harm–related ED visits among incarcerated persons, particularly among younger adults and men, points to the need for the development and implementation of violence and suicide prevention strategies that consider the intersectional factors related to incarceration.

Funding Opportunities

SAMHSA has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for Tribal Behavioral Health. The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance use/misuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote mental health among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, up to and including age 24, by building a healthy network of systems, services, and partnerships that impact youth.

Youth Advocating for Change is currently working on organizing their annual GSA Summit which is happening April 21st from 6-9pm & April 22nd from 11-4pm at Front Range Community College at the Boulder County Campus: 2190 Miller Dr, Longmont, CO 80501. They welcome youth, educators and guardians to attend and register for free at this link.

Locking Device Distribution: Discussion of Best Practices & Considerations: Tuesday, April 25th 12-1pm MT. Join using this Zoom link.

Suicide Research Symposium: This free and virtual event will take place April 26-28. Learn more and register here.

Essential DBT Skills for Individuals Who are Suicidal and the People that Care for Them: Tuesday, May 9th, 12:00-1:00. Learn more and register here.

Firearm Access, Homicide, and Suicide Among People Who Live With Gun Owners: Part of the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research Webinar Series, Tuesday, May 9th, 12:00. Register here.

Depression and Anxiety: Mental Health Tools for Providers Working with College-aged Youth: Hosted by Mountain Plains MHTTC, May 11th, 12:00-1:00. Learn more and register here.

An Interprofessional Tool for Perinatal Mental Health: Hosted by Mountain Plains MHTTC, May 17th, 12:00-1:00. Learn more and register here.

Bridging the Divide Suicide Prevention and Awareness Summit: This year’s theme is Enhancing our Social Environments as a Suicide Prevention Strategy. The summit will be May 18-19, 20232 at the Colorado Mountain College - Spring Valley Campus - Glenwood Springs, CO. Register here.

Partners for Children’s Mental Health is offering two upcoming training sessions to help youth-serving professionals create safe spaces for LGBTQ youth. Training dates/times (MT):  

• Introduction To Providing LGBTQ+ Competent Care: May 18, 4-5pm
• Working with Gender Diverse Youth for Advanced Practitioners: May 22, 4-5pm

Valued Social Roles in Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness. May 3, 2023 @ 11:00 AM

NADRC Webinar on the VHA’s Strategy to Promote Aging in Place for Veterans. Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 1:00-2:00 PM.

Suicide Prevention Career Opportunities

Second Wind Fund is hiring a full-time Provider Engagement Specialist. This position will be based in Denver, with the ability to work remotely. Learn more about the position and apply here.