With a popular television series making suicide the topic of conversation for many young people, Willowbrooke at Tanner is expanding its outreach to provide area residents with important information on knowing how to respond and when to intervene.
A second session of Recognizing the Warning Signs of Adolescent Suicide has been scheduled for Thursday, June 15, at 7 p.m. The discussion will be open to the public and hosted in the Fine Arts Building at Haralson County High School near Tallapoosa.
The event will feature a panel of licensed counselors and therapists from Willowbrooke at Tanner who have worked closely with teens and adolescents and have first-hand experience in treating young people with suicidal ideations. The panelists will include Meagan Thompson, LPC, assistant director of Willowbrooke at Tanner; Amanda Avella, LPC, program manager; Brian Gibson, LPC, a primary therapist; and Deb Price, LPC, CPCS, a program manager for community services.
Almost 200 parents, educators, teens and behavioral health professionals turned out for the initial Recognizing the Warning Signs of Adolescent Suicide discussion on May 25 at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton.
The June 15 discussion will feature current regional statistics related to suicide; actual suicide signs and symptoms to watch for; healthy talking points for parents, teachers, teens and peers; and a question-and-answer session with the panel. It is part of Tanner’s Advancing Your Health Education Series, providing residents with access to free health information from the region’s leading health experts and covering a wide range of topics, including heart disease, orthopedics, women’s care and more. Other upcoming opportunities can be found in the Classes and Events calendar at www.tanner.org/calendar.
Those interested in the event but who will be unable to attend can find a video of the initial discussion online at www.tanner.org/hotlinesandresources. The page also includes a list of suicide and crisis hotlines and web resources that can be used and shared with other parents, grandparents, teens, teachers, counselors, pastors, coaches and anyone else who regularly interacts with teens.
The series, “13 Reasons Why,” is available on video streaming service Netflix. It follows a fictitious teenager as he tries to unravel the reasons his classmate decided to commit suicide. The series has struck a chord with many young people, making the subject of suicide a popular topic of conversation even among teens and adolescents who have not watched the series.
Those interested can register online at www.tanner.org/13reasons. Registration is required for each attendee. Due to the venue’s specifications, a meal will not be served at this event; food and drink are prohibited inside the auditorium.