NEC: April 24 Webinar: Alternatives to Suicide

Alternatives to Suicide peer support groups exist because the opportunity to talk about feelings of hopelessness to empathic ears can decrease the inclination to act on suicidal feelings. The Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (WMRLC) has started peer support groups of this kind. Alternatives to Suicide peer support groups provide a forum wherein people who feel or have felt suicidal can talk about their experiences without being judged. People in these groups share their struggles and successes, provide support for one another, and strategize about alternatives to help each other best cope with difficult life circumstances. People are encouraged to come in both times of strength or in challenging times. This webinar will discuss the need for and development of peer-run support groups for people struggling with suicidal feelings and thoughts.

Presenters:

Sean Donovan: as a part of the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community, Sean draws upon years of struggle with emotional distress and agonizing yearnings for suicide to put this once “lost time” to work in connecting with other folks.Through his roles in the WMRLC’s Holyoke center and as a co-facilitator for Alternatives to Suicide groups he has learned many things about the lives and struggles of others and knowledge about how to persist in thoughtfully living his own life.

Janice Sorensen has been doing suicide prevention literally since the age of eight, while dealing with her mother’s numerous attempts and later on, in learning to navigating her own ideation.Thus, she understands the despondency that precedes a suicide attempt as well as what it is like to be the child of someone feeling that level of despair.She conducts Alternatives to Suicide Peer Support Groups for the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community and is grateful to be able to bring this knowledge to her work.

Title:

Alternatives to Suicide: Lessons from the Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community

Date:

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Time:

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

This webinar will be recorded and shared at www.power2u.org (recording available shortly after April 24).

System Requirements

PC-based attendees

Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Mac®-based attendees

Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer

Mobile attendees

Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet