The Community Grief Support nonprofit is hosting a two-day suicide prevention conference on Aug. 17-18 at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook.
The conference is free and open to the public.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, the nation state and community have individually and collectively experienced significant loss — with the accompaniment of depression, anxiety, trauma and complicated and exacerbated grief, the organization said in a news release. Suicide deaths rose dramatically.
Alabama’s suicide rate consistently ranks higher than the national rate. In response to this, Community Grief Support is working to help provide more awareness, understanding and education.
“Simply put, there isn’t enough education on suicide prevention or mental health for that matter; we wanted to create space where people can ask questions and learn more about suicide, including what resources are available, how to help and how to make a difference,” said Catherine Pittman Smith, administrative director of Community Grief Support. “We live in a grief-avoidant society, and we tend to label and put a mask on the subject of suicide with myths, misperceptions and misinformation."
Community Grief Support is partnering with the Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resources Coalition and the University of Montevallo for this conference.
The conference begins Aug. 17 with keynote presentations by Noah Galloway, Karen Cook Thomas and Cheryl Dodson,
Galloway, a veteran, Purple Heart recipient, author, double amputee and fitness enthusiast, is scheduled to share the story of his battle with depression and overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder to find mental and physical wellness.
Then Thomas, a board member of the Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resource Coalition, and Dodson, executive director of the group, will share prevention and intervention strategies on how to help loved ones in a mental health crisis and provide resources for support and understanding.
On Aug. 18, there will be a “stigma-free public conversation” and question-and-answer panel that will feature local suicide expert Dr. Judith Harrington from the University of Montevallo and Community Grief Support Clinical Director Steve Sweatt. The discussion will be moderated by WBRC Fox 6 news anchor Janice Rogers.
The conference is for all mental health and other professionals, including nurses, funeral home directors and staff, and graduate students. Eight continuing education credits are available for professionals at an additional charge.
For almost 30 years, Community Grief Support has provided counseling—at no cost—to individuals, couples and families. The group also has more than 20 loss-specific grief support groups annually in 11 communities and grief education programs throughout the greater Birmingham area.
The conference hours are 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17 (with check-in starting at 6 p.m.) and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18 (with registration starting at 8 a.m.).
To learn more or register, visit communitygriefsupport.org/unmasking-suicide-registration
Submitted by Community Grief Support
