NARPA
Alternatives to Suicide: A New Way to Understand and Support People through Their Darkest Times
Sera Davidow and Caroline Mazel-Carlton
This workshop will examine some of the most prominent myths about suicide that permeate our culture including the assumption of ‘mental illness,’ the purported efficacy of assessment and hospitalization as a response, and the true ‘stigma’ of suicide. From there, the presenters will go on to turn the concept of ‘suicide prevention’ on its head, and offer an alternative framework that focuses on meaning making, choice, and creating space to talk openly about thoughts of killing one’s self as the best pathway to staying alive for so many people.
Learning Goals:
- Participants in this workshop will be able to identify at least two myths about suicide that are common in today’s suicide.
- Participants in this workshop will be able to identify at least two components of the Alternatives to Suicide approach.
- Participants in this workshop will be able to describe at least two problems with the current model of suicide prevention.