Chadron State College social work seniors will be hosting a major conference, “Suicide – Starting the Conversation,” Wednesday, November 7 at 8am.  This conference will take place on campus in the Student Center ballroom. This is an all-day event and is free and open to the public. RSVPs are encouraged but not required.  

This conference aims to not only create awareness, but also help educate the community and surrounding areas on today’s challenges with depression and suicide.  They have worked diligently since January of this year to create a conference that begins the difficult discussion surrounding suicide and mental health.

 

Mark and Shardel Nelson will speak at 8:30am.  Mark and Shardel are the parents of Kaelia Nelson, a pageant holder who lost her life to suicide last October.  She devoted her life to a cause she was extremely passionate about, “Stomping the Stigma: Creating Conversations about Mental Illness.”

 

Amy Carnahan will speak at 9:30am.  Amy works at Western Community Health Resources.  She is certified through the state of Nebraska as a Peer Support and Wellness Specialist.  She deals with suicide prevention and QPR (question, persuade, refer) trainings.

 

At 10am, Dennis Gillan, a national inspirational speaker will tell his story.  Gillan uses his personal story of losing two of his brothers to suicide to speak about mental health and suicide prevention.  He is not a mental health professional, but he uses his personal experience and support of mental health therapy and sobriety to speak to groups about suicide.

 

Heather Williams will also be a speaker during this conference and will speak at 12:20pm.  Williams uses the power of connection in her presentations, and currently works as a Co-Occurring Specialist in an Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders Program.

At 1:30pm the conference will present Kevin Hines’ documentary film Suicide: The Ripple Effect.  This film is part of a global mission to help reduce the number of suicides and suicide attempts around the world.  

 

After the movie presentation, Chadron Police Chief Tim Lordino will then speak about the police department’s involvement with mental health and suicide in the community.  Concluding the day will be a panel discussion including members of the community such as Dr. Caroline Winchester, Chadron Public Schools superintendent, Chief Lordino, and Amy Carnahan and others from the community.