Instilling Hope V

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Instilling Hope V

By Trauma-Informed Care Circuit II Workgroup

Date and time

Friday, March 11, 2016 · 7:45am - 5pm EST

Location

Tallahassee Community College

Workforce Developement Center 444 Appleyard Drive Tallahassee, FL 32304

Description

“This event is approved for 6.25 contact hours for Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Mental Health Counselors through the National Association of Social Workers, Florida Chapter. Provider #BAP-321. Exp. 03/17.”As an organization approved by the Florida Certification Board, DISC Village, Inc. is able to offer 6.25 hours of continuing education credit. CE Provider #58-A. Expires 12/31/16.

Welcome to Instilling Hope V!

Descriptions of each session are located below the conference agenda.

Conference Agenda

7:45-8:15am Registration

8:15-8:30am Welcome (Rm 105)

8:30-8:45am TIC Workgroup

8:45-10:00am Morning Keynote Speaker

Why People Die By Suicide, Thomas Joiner, PhD, Florida State University

10:00-10:15am Break

10:15-11:30am Breakout Session 1 (Select One):

1. Now That We Have ACE Scores: What do we do with them? (An Interactive Roundtable) Nathan Epps, MS, Mimi Graham, Ph.D., Jeannie Becker-Powell, MSW, Na’Keisha Phillips, M.S., CAP, Jane Streit PhD., and Jennifer Travieso, RCSWI

2. More Than Words: Expressive Arts Therapies with Sexual Assault and Rape Victims, K Addison Lucas, MM, MT-BC

3. Educating the Educator: Trauma in the Schools Trinika Trotter, MSW

4. Crisis Intervention Team Sergeant George Creamer, Jr, Field Training & Evaluation Program, Tallahassee Police Department

5. Using a Modified Version of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to Increase Hope in the Inpatient Setting, Kathleen Hale, Ph.D.

11:30am-12:40pm Lunch

12:40pm 12:45pm Door Prize ticket drawing

12:45-2pm Afternoon Keynote Speaker (Rm 105)

Secondary Trauma: Preventing Burnout & Building Resilience, Carol Campbell Edwards, LCSW, Florida State University

2-2:15pm Break

2:15-3:30pm Breakout Session 2 (Select One):

1. Movie - Paper Tigers (Part I), Maureen Honan & Alexa Kyros

2. Trauma-Informed Art-Based Mindfulness, Sheila Lorenzo de la Peña, Ph.D.

3. How to Make Your Agency Trauma-Informed, Jennifer Travieso, RCSWI & Robyn Gast, MSW

4. Trauma and the Consumer Experience, Freda King, BS,CAP

5. The Trauma of Suicide: Hope for the Future, Mary Bowers, BA & Sofia Castro, Ph.D

3:30-3:45pm Break

3:45-5pm Breakout Session 3 (Select One): Please note there are only 4 options for this session

1. Movie - Paper Tigers (Part II), Maureen Honan & Alexa Kyros

2. De-Escalation Strategies, Jennifer Barnhill, MS, HRD Specialist

3. The Baker Act, Jackie Beck , MSW

4. Always Hope, Beth Chandler, BS, CAP

5-5:15pm Submit CEU Tracking & Evaluation

Thank you for joining us and helping to make our Community Trauma-Informed!

Session Summaries & Speaker Bios

Morning Keynote Speaker

“Why People Die By Suicide”

In his new theory of suicidal behavior, Thomas Joiner proposes three factors that mark those most at risk of death: the feeling of being a burden on loved ones; the sense of isolation; and, perhaps chillingly, the learned ability to hurt oneself. He tests the theory against diverse facts taken from clinical anecdotes, history, literature, popular culture, anthropology, epidemiology, genetics, and neurobiology--facts about suicide rates among men and women; white and African-American men; anorexics, athletes, prostitutes, and physicians; members of cults, sports fans, and citizens of nations in crisis.

7 objectives
- to review basic facts about the epidemiology and risk factors for death by suicide.
- to learn about a new theory of suicidal behavior.
- to learn about anecdotal, clinical, and scientific evidence that evaluates this new theory.
- to learn about approaches to suicide risk assessment.
- to learn about developments in the treatment of suicidal behavior.
- to learn about developments in suicide prevention.
- to understand the experience of people who are bereaved by suicide.

Thomas Joiner grew up in Georgia, went to college at Princeton, and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University (FSU), Tallahassee, Florida. Dr. Joiner’s work is on the psychology, neurobiology, and treatment of suicidal behavior and related conditions. Author of over 515 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Joiner was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Residency Fellowship. He received the Young Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, the Shakow Award for Early Career Achievement from the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association, the Shneidman Award for excellence in suicide research from the American Association of Suicidology, and the Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Association, as well as research grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, Department of Defense (DoD), and various foundations. The Lawton Professorship, which Dr. Joiner received in 2010, is FSU’s single highest honor.

He is a consultant to NASA’s Human Research Program, and is the Director, with Pete Gutierrez, Ph.D., of the DoD-funded Military Suicide Research Consortium, a $30 million project.

Dr. Joiner has authored or edited seventeen books, including Why People Die By Suicide, published in 2005 by Harvard University Press, and Myths About Suicide, published in 2010, also with Harvard University Press. The book Lonely at the Top was published by Palgrave MacMillan in October, 2011, and the book The Perversion of Virtue: Understanding Murder-Suicide was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. Largely in connection with Why People Die By Suicide
, he has made numerous radio, print, and television appearances, including write-ups in The Wall Street Journal and The Times of London, a radio interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and two appearances on the Dr. Phil Show.

He runs a part-time clinical and consulting practice specializing in suicidal behavior, including
legal consultation on suits involving death by suicide. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife and two sons, the elder of whom is an FSUsophomore.

Breakout Session I (select one):

1. Now That We Have ACE Scores: What do we do with them? (An Interactive Roundtable)

Mr. Epps has made multiple contributions to the research on Adverse Childhood Experiences since 2014. Though well-received, readers of the literature have often responded as the title of this presentation suggests—now that we have them, how can we use ACE scores? Since the ACE score is a compilation of ten different types of experiences, efforts at effective response should address any of them (emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, violent treatment of mother/domestic abuse, household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce, having a household member with a history of incarceration). Though the presenter has been able to collect considerable information about different possible responses to specific ACEs, he’s not a clinician, and is seeking input from the panelists on alternatives for response to the things that make up the ACE score, with particular emphasis on resources available in the local area. Mr. Epps will facilitate a discussion of the panelists addressing this issue; audience participation is welcomed.

Nathan Epps, MS, Department of Juvenile Justice, completed his graduate studies in Criminology in May 1986 at the Florida State University School of Criminology. He has done research for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ) since 1989. His research interests include trauma-informed care, adverse childhood experiences, and the application of geographical information systems (GIS) software to juvenile justice data.

Dr. Mimi Graham is Director of the Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy since 1993 specializing in policy, training and special projects for vulnerable infants and toddlers including: Early Childhood Coordinating Systems (ECCS) project on Trauma & Toxic Stress; The Harris Infant Mental Health Training Institute, Florida’s Infant Toddler Network, FSU Early Head Start, The Young Parent Project, Child Welfare Community Collaboration, and the Partner’s For A Healthy Baby Home Visiting Training Institute. She is active in the statewide Trauma Informed Care Workgroup and is spearheading statewide “baby” court teams to address the trauma of young children. She is President and co-founder of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health and fellow of Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families and Florida’s Policy Group for Children & Families.

Dr. Jane Streit has been interested in the impact of trauma on functioning since the 1980’s. As a psychologist at Florida State Hospital in 2001-2004, she became involved in efforts to reduce the use of seclusion and restraint in state hospitals. On joining the Department of Children and Family’s Mental Health program office in 2004, Dr. Streit was able to continue this involvement through quality reviews of facilities, rule changes, and other activities. As it did in many states, the early efforts to reduce the use of potentially traumatizing procedures expanded to include trauma’s impact in the lives of adults and children we serve. Until her retirement in June of 2012, Dr. Streit was involved in working with children’s residential providers to encourage the provision of services that are trauma informed.

In 2009, Florida DCF staff were involved in sponsoring an interagency training on trauma and its importance in the lives of those we serve with the assistance of staff from the National Center for Trauma Informed Care. Dr. Streit served as facilitator for the statewide interagency group that was formed as a result of this training. She has participated in workgroups with child welfare focused on increasing information and training for child welfare workers and leadership staff on the impact of trauma and presented on the subject to a number of groups regarding the impact of trauma on infants, children, and adults. In 2010, she was a contributor to Addressing the Unique and Trauma-Related Needs of Young Children (FSU Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy). Most recently, Dr. Streit was a reviewer for Creating Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Systems: A Guide for Administrators by The Chadwick Trauma-Informed Systems Project. In 2012, Dr. Streit provided training and feedback on trauma informed care for staff at Behavioral Health Services of South Georgia. Dr. Streit is a passionate believer in the need to ensure that our service systems are trauma informed in order to address past trauma, prevent future trauma for those we serve and the people who serve them, and support recovery.

Jeannie Becker-Powell, MSW, Director of Policy and Programming, Department of Juvenile Justice. Ms. Jeannie Becker-Powell holds a Master of Social Work and Bachelor of Science in Criminology from Florida State University. She has over 30 years’ experience in Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice and Victim Services. She has conducted trainings at local, state and national levels on a variety of subjects including Trauma Informed Care, Restorative Justice, juvenile justice, and victim related topics and has been an adjunct instructor at Florida State University in the School s of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Social Work. She co-authored the initial release of the Victim Impact of Crime Curriculum used in residential juvenile justice programs and has developed other curricula for use with delinquent youth. She is currently employed by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Office of Probation and Community Intervention as the Director of Policy and Programming, working on a variety of issues including juvenile justice reform, evidence-based programming, re-entry, aftercare and Trauma Informed Care.

Na’Keisha Phillips is the Clinical Director of the Residential Treatment Unit at MTC/Gadsden Correctional Facility. She has 14 years’ experience as a therapist working in the field of addictions and mental health. She received a B.S. degree in Health Care Management/Rehabilitation Administration from Florida A&M University in 2002; an M.S. degree in Human Services Counseling Studies from Capella University in 2010; and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree from Capella University in Human Services Nonprofit Agency Management. She wrote the Women, Trauma and Recovery program that is currently being used at MTC/Gadsden Correctional Facility; which has been accepted as an official program with the Florida Department of Corrections. She is extremely passionate about the work that she is doing and continues to expand her knowledge base in her field.

Jennifer Travieso is the Family Services Supervisor at DISC Village, Inc. Jennifer obtained her Masters in Social Work at the Florida State University in 2006. She has been employed at DISC Village since August of 2005. Her service began working at Sisters In Sobriety, a women's residential substance abuse facility in Woodville. She has been the Family Services Supervisor for the past 8 years. Her background is in child welfare, substance abuse, mental health, and trauma-informed care. She is a co-facilitator of the Circuit II Trauma Informed Care Workgroup and is an advocate for Trauma-Informed Care in all areas in the community.

2. More Than Words: Expressive Arts Therapies with Sexual Assault and Rape Victims

According to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, 1 out of every 6 American women have been a victim of rape; 1 in 33 men have either experienced or completed rape; and 15% of the rape and sexual assault victims are under the age of 12. When working with any population, whether it is inpatient or outpatient, acute or long term, therapists will encounter one, if not more, of these types of individuals. Expressive arts therapy uses a variety of different creative avenues (music, art, play, dance/movement, writing, etc.) along with different psychotherapy approaches to stimulate the whole-brain responses to achieve reparation, recovery, and well-being. This presentation is to educate what expressive arts therapies are and how non-expressive arts therapists can incorporate creative techniques into their treatment of sexual assault and rape victims.

K. Addison Lucas is the Activity Therapist at the Behavioral Health Center of Capital Regional Medical Center. Addison obtained her Masters in Music Therapy from Florida State University and is a board certified music therapist. Her experience in mental health ranges from the state hospital to acute stabilization to outpatient therapy. Ms. Lucas has worked alongside Registered Art Therapists, an Art Therapist Registered – Board Certified and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists.

3. Educating the Educator: A Trauma-Informed School

Childhood trauma has a direct effect on a child’s development as well as a child’s ability to learn in school. However, the education, training and resources to reach children dealing with trauma are limited, inadequate or nonexistent. My presentation will focus on educating the educator through in-services on already established teacher planning days. We will explore the current state of the educational system in regards to their approach concerning children dealing with trauma. We will learn how to change distractions into interactions which aid children dealing with trauma in their development personally and scholastically. Finally, my presentation will tackle what it means to become a trauma informed school and the steps to adopt a trauma informed approach. The information provided will equip and empower educators to start the conversation that acknowledges the critical need for a change in climate where teachers can actually be an answer to the children they serve.

Trinika Trotter is a School Guidance Counselor at East Gadsden High School (EGHS). At EGHS, Ms. Trotter is responsible for the well-being of over 200 tenth grade students. In her time at EGHS she has already decreased the number of failing students in the 10th grade class and was instrumental in organizing the school’s first 9th and 10th grade Parent Night. These and other contributions caused her to be voted employee of the month in November 2015. By building a rapport with her students she has gained their trust and respect which has given her the opportunity to empower students to succeed and do their best. Ms. Trotter’s passion for what she does comes from her experience and working with victims of crime and an educator for students with special needs. Ms. Trotter holds a B.A. in Business Administration and a Masters in Social Work. In addition, she is a member of Disability Rights Florida’s Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Advisory Council. She uses a blend of humor, intelligence, insight and sensitivity to help others face crisis, identify solutions, and begin the healing process.

4. Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)

This is the opening presentation for CIT classes. It covers the history of CIT, training philosophy, justifications of the CIT program, and the importance of not the just the training but the relationship behind CIT (law enforcement, court system, and mental health community). Questions and discussion are welcome.

Sergeant George Creamer Jr has been employed at the Tallahassee Police Department for over 20 years. He has served in Patrol Operations, Financial Crimes, Homicide/Violent Crimes, Internal Affairs, Field Training and is a High Liability Instructor. Sgt Creamer is currently assigned to Southern District Patrol Operations as a Field Training Sergeant and is the Law Enforcement Liaison for the Big Bend Crisis Intervention Team.

5. "Using a modified version of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to increase hope in the inpatient setting”

This presentation will provide an overview of the theory and techniques utilized in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help individuals who are experiencing emotional distress cope more effectively with their painful, intense emotions. Emotional distress can be triggered not only by current challenging life experiences but also by past traumatic events and can result in a pattern of maladaptive behaviors (i.e., suicidal and self-harm behaviors, substance abuse, and verbal and physical aggression). The coping skills taught in DBT can empower individuals to more effectively deal with their emotional pain and decrease the frequency and intensity of maladaptive behaviors. The presentation will highlight the therapeutic value of instilling and sustaining a sense of hopefulness in individuals with a history of maladaptive coping behaviors. Concepts and techniques utilized by Florida State Hospital’s DBT Hope Group to instill and sustain a sense of hopefulness in group members will be shared and discussed.

Dr. Kathleen Hale obtained her M.S. in Mental Health Counseling (2002) and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology (2012) from Florida State University. She has worked at Florida State Hospital since 2007. She currently is a Behavioral Analyst with FSH’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program where she facilitates DBT skills training groups and provides individual therapy and DBT skills coaching to clients experiencing severe emotional and behavioral dysregulation.

Afternoon Keynote Speaker

Secondary Trauma: Preventing Burnout & Building Resilience

In this interactive session, professionals will explore research which identifies the relationship between child welfare work and secondary trauma, the symptoms of secondary trauma and burnout, the impact of secondary trauma on relationships and overall health and well-being, how to manage the effects of secondary trauma and burnout, and how to build resilience and self-care in daily practice. Participants will receive hands on tools and coping strategies.

Carol Campbell Edwards is a licensed clinical social worker in the State of Florida. Carol's professional experiences include Marriage and Family Therapy and 25 years of direct and administrative service in Child Welfare. Currently Carol serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the FSU College of Social Work where she coordinates the Title IV-E Stipend Program. She is also a social work adjunct faculty member at Florida A & M University. Formerly Carol served for 10 years as the Training Director for Big Bend Community Based Care, Inc. Carol was selected as the FSU Instructor of the Year in 2006 and the NASW Big Bend Unit Social Worker of the Year for 2010. Currently, she is the Unit Chair for NASW- FL, Big Bend Unit. Carol has devoted the last 28 years to mentoring youth, training and mentoring child welfare professionals and advocating for children in foster care.

Breakout Session II (select one):

1. Movie Presentation: Paper Tigers, directed by James Redford Part I

Paper Tigers is an intimate look into the lives of selected students at Lincoln High School, an alternative school that specializes in educating traumatized youth. Set amidst the rural community of Walla Walla, WA, the film intimately examines the inspiring promise of Trauma Informed Communities - a movement that is showing great promise in healing youth struggling with the dark legacy of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). Exposure to chronic and adverse stress (and the altered brain function that results) leaves a child in a fruitless search for comfort and escape from a brain and body that is permanently stuck in flight or fight. That comfort comes in the form of drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, sex, food and more.

Every year, millions of unloved and traumatized youth enter adulthood with damaged brains and hearts. They are highly predisposed to die from self-destructive behaviors, and highly likely to continue the cycle of abuse. Even those who do not engage in self destructive behaviors are highly predisposed to get cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and immune disorders. The impact of unloved and traumatized children on society is profound and widespread. 85% of inmates were traumatized as youth. 27% of hospital visits can be traced to causes linked to childhood trauma. Hurt kids grow up to hurt people. The generational cycles of trauma and abuse are as stubborn as they are tragic.

But there is hope. There are doctors, researchers, teachers, nurses, social workers and law enforcement officers that are turning the tide against the cycle of trauma and abuse. A movement is rising, one that sees aberrant behavior in children as a symptom rather than a moral failing. This movement asks not what is wrong with our youth, but rather what has happened to them. The paradigm is shifting from punishment and blame to a deeper commitment to understanding and healing the underlying causes of aberrant behavior. With this shifting paradigm comes the promise of great improvements in many of the society’s costly ills: less crime, less illness, less teen pregnancy, abuse, rape, divorce.

Simply put, it is cheaper to heal than to punish. Paper Tigers takes a look at what is possible.

There will be a De-Briefing session, moderated by Mauren Honan, after the conclusion of the movie in the next breakout session. A copy of the film was provided by the “Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida”

Maureen Honan is a Government Analyst II for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Detention Services Headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida. She began her tenure with the Department in 1996 as a Detention Care Worker II at the Orange Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Orlando and has served many roles within the Department prior to her current position. Her career with the Department followed 10 years of experience with residential services in Syracuse, New York; where she received her degree in Education/Human Services. Ms. Honan possesses many years of operational and administrative detention experience and over 26 years working with at-risk youth. She possesses extensive knowledge in a number of arenas including, but not limited to, operations, programming, policy development, legislative bill analysis and training. Ms. Honan was one of the original Master Protective Action Response (PAR) Instructors, as well as a participant in the workgroup that developed the Basic Officer Certification and the PAR Program. She continues to serve as a consultant for Staff Development as a subject matter expert for Detention Services and the PAR curricula. Ms. Honan is a major contributor to and has been instrumental in the success of the Trauma-Informed Care DJJ Initiative, as well as the Statewide Interagency Trauma-Informed Care Workgroup.

Alexa Kyros is currently working with Prevent Child Abuse of Florida, a subsidiary of the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, where she is responsible for external and internal communications, supervision of events, including the Paper Tigers project in conjunction with Prevent Child Abuse America. She is also continuing her work with the nationally acclaimed Tallahassee Community College Speech and Debate Team, with whom she serves as an assistant coach. Ms. Kyros has committed herself to numerous humanitarian aid projects in various parts of the world. She has also worked with the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee, and served as the International Services Intern Coordinator the American Red Cross.

2. Trauma­-Informed Art­-based Mindfulness

This presentation will focus on trauma informed art­based mindfulness treatment implications. Beginning with a discussion of what is mindfulness and its benefits to our client groups, attendees will also explore its connection with creativity. Lessons learned from art­based mindfulness groups will be shared along with ideas for adapting to various populations and settings with particular attention to populations with a trauma history. Lastly, attendees will be empowered to increase their own mindful creative expression with simple acts of kindness and hope.

Sheila Lorenzo de la Peña provides DBT and art therapy services at a forensic state facility for adults with chronic mental illness. Supervising masters level art therapy students and promoting the routine use of creative expression in clients and clinicians as a means of building resiliency.

3. How to Make Your Agency Trauma-Informed

“Trauma-informed care has received national attention because of the prevalence of individuals who have experienced trauma in a variety of settings. The implementation of trauma-informed care may present a challenge to some organizations. This presentation will outline action steps to assist organizations in identifying the need for trauma-informed care. We will also explore the implementation of trauma-awareness into current practices.”

Jennifer Travieso is the Family Services Supervisor at DISC Village, Inc. Jennifer obtained her Masters in Social Work at the Florida State University in 2006. She has been employed at DISC Village since August of 2005. Her service began working at Sisters In Sobriety, a women's residential substance abuse facility in Woodville. She has been the Family Services Supervisor for the past 8 years. Her background is in child welfare, substance abuse, mental health, and trauma-informed care. She is a co-facilitator of the Circuit II Trauma Informed Care Workgroup and is an advocate for Trauma-Informed Care in all areas in the community.

Robyn Gast is the Network Coordinator for Circuit 2 (plus Madison and Taylor counties) at Big Bend Community Based Care -Substance Abuse and Mental Health Managing Entity. Robyn is a native Virginian and she received her MSW from Florida State University with a focus in Family Social Work Practice. She developed a strong sense of devotion to providing trauma informed care while working at the Child Protection Team. This experience gave her a deep appreciation for how important it is to provide trauma informed care to children so they are better equipped to begin their journey of healing and recovery. Robyn is also a co-facilitator of the Circuit 2 Trauma Informed Care Workgroup.

4. Trauma & the Consumer Experience

Often times, we as professionals want to know why our client’s do not change, despite having a desire to live a healthier lifestyle free from trauma, addiction, and poverty. We will explore this question with a former consumer who is now a professional working with individuals in the penal system, with a focus on minority populations. Mrs. King shares her experience as a supervisor-case manager in DISC Village, Inc.’s LIFT Program and a volunteer at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, FL.

Freda King, BS, CAP, LIFT Program Supervisor, DISC Village, Inc. Mrs. King knows about journeys in faith. After all, her life has been one. Over the years, she has struggled with drug addiction, a difficult divorce, and separation from her three children, homelessness, trauma, poverty and grief. It took over twenty years for her to realize her potential and ability to overcome all odds. She has reunited with her family and has been sober for 15 years. She received her G.E.D., graduated from Tallahassee Community College with a 3.5 grade point average and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida State University with a Bachelor in Social Sciences. Mrs. King is also a Certified Addiction Professional and is in the FSU graduate criminal justice studies program.

5. The Trauma of Suicide: Hope for the Future

The presentation will begin with an overview of Florida’s 2016-2020 Statewide Plan for Suicide Prevention. This overview will be followed by a mother who, bereaved by the suicide of her daughter, briefly shares her journey through loss to healing, and thus her motivation for changing the legacy of suicide. The presentation will also describe an active postvention response model (APM), LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors)Team. This strategy of using highly trained survivor sensitive mental health professionals and para-professional survivors of suicide as first responders is supported in the State Plan, as well as by the April 2015 National Guidelines of the Survivors of Suicide Loss Task Force. It integrates and coordinates effective suicide postvention activities across systems through increased communication, collaboration, and capacity building. The presenters will discuss a proposal to develop and implement protocols in communities and across caregiving systems for effectively responding, both at the scene and in the immediate aftermath of suicides. Lastly, an overview of two future trainings, “Hope and Healing: The Aftermath of Suicide” and “LOSS Team: Changing the Legacy” will be provided.

Mary Bowers A former NAMI-Tallahassee board president, Mary Bowers, has worked in public health and healthcare systems for over thirty years, most recently as a Florida Department of Health statewide program director and previously as a mental health research study coordinator. She earned a BA in Management and Communications from Concordia University Wisconsin. As a suicide loss survivor, she is dedicated to reducing further loss and supporting the suicide bereaved as they heal through systems change.

Dr. Sofia Castro is currently the Suicide Prevention Specialist for the Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program at the Florida Department of Children and Families. She has served in the field of prevention for ten years, and earned her certification as a Certified Prevention Professional through the Florida Certification Board. She began her prevention career in 2005 as a Prevention Specialist at DISC Village, Inc. serving Wakulla Middle School.

Breakout Session III (select one): There are only 4 options for this session

1. Movie Presentation: Paper Tigers, directed by James Redford Part II

The conclusion of Paper Tigers will be shown with a De-Briefing session following the film, moderated by Maureen Honan.

Maureen Honan is a Government Analyst II for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Detention Services Headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida. She began her tenure with the Department in 1996 as a Detention Care Worker II at the Orange Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Orlando and has served many roles within the Department prior to her current position. Her career with the Department followed 10 years of experience with residential services in Syracuse, New York; where she received her degree in Education/Human Services. Ms. Honan possesses many years of operational and administrative detention experience and over 26 years working with at-risk youth. She possesses extensive knowledge in a number of arenas including, but not limited to, operations, programming, policy development, legislative bill analysis and training. Ms. Honan was one of the original Master Protective Action Response (PAR) Instructors, as well as a participant in the workgroup that developed the Basic Officer Certification and the PAR Program. She continues to serve as a consultant for Staff Development as a subject matter expert for Detention Services and the PAR curricula. Ms. Honan is a major contributor to and has been instrumental in the success of the Trauma-Informed Care DJJ Initiative, as well as the Statewide Interagency Trauma-Informed Care Workgroup.

Alexa Kyros is currently working with Prevent Child Abuse of Florida, a subsidiary of the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, where she is responsible for external and internal communications, supervision of events, including the Paper Tigers project in conjunction with Prevent Child Abuse America. She is also continuing her work with the nationally acclaimed Tallahassee Community College Speech and Debate Team, with whom she serves as an assistant coach. Ms. Kyros has committed herself to numerous humanitarian aid projects in various parts of the world. She has also worked with the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee, and served as the International Services Intern Coordinator the American Red Cross.

2. De-escalation Strategies

Participants will learn De-Escalation Strategies to manage their own personal behavior & prevent children from escalating. In addition, this session will help participants advance their verbal intervention skills when interacting with individuals who have challenging behaviors.

Jennifer Barnhill has been an educator for 20 years. She is certified in Varying Exceptionalities (K-12) as well as Reading Endorsed. She has worked at a special day school for students with emotional/behavioral disabilities for 16 years. Currently, she is an HRD Specialist with FDLRS/Miccosukee focusing on reading and behavioral strategies.

3. Baker Act

The Baker Act is Chapter 394, Part I, Florida Statutes, and is also known as the Florida Mental Health Act. The Baker Act provides legal procedures for mental health examination and treatment. Topics in this session will include Criteria for Voluntary Admissions, Criteria for and Initiation of Involuntary Examinations, Transportation, Persons with Emergency Medical & Psychiatric Conditions.

Jacqueline Beck graduated from Eastern Michigan University with her MSW and has worked in the mental health field for over 30 years. Her career began in long-term care, but her interests broadened to the mental health field serving individuals of all ages. She began working in community mental health first as a case manager, then as an Assertive Community Treatment Team Leader, and then as a therapist specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Co-Occurring disorders. She eventually found herself in administration, directing a walk-in clinic. After moving to Florida in 1998, Jackie worked for the Department of Children and Families for 15 years, most of which was at the Headquarters office in Tallahassee. Her appointments there included Baker Act Director and Chief of Mental Health. She also worked at DCF’s G. Peirce Wood State Hospital as the Social Work Director. While with DCF, she received several awards, including the District’s Total Quality Management Award and several Davis Productivity Awards. In 2013, Jackie transitioned back to her first love: community mental health. She is currently the Inpatient Program Director at Apalachee Center in Tallahassee.

4. Always Hope

The effects and wounds from trauma never disappear and can reactivate. Hope and people using trauma-informed care, communication, and therapeutic connection decreases the pain and teaches coping skills and trust that inspire a person to not just survive but to surpass the trauma and live life.

Beth Chandler, BS, CAP grew up in an extremely traumatic home as a child which continued into her adulthood. After searching for years, she finally found hope by working with 2 counselors. She worked in the Developmental Disability field for 17 years as a Behavior Specialist in a State Hospital and since 1991 in Addictions from outpatient, prisons as a counselor, Residential and numerous administrative positions in each level of care. She has been in recovery from Alcoholism for almost 27 years now with the help of the two women who cared and taught her to not just cope but live and surpass.

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