Workshop designed to help others, save lives
(Seguin) – A local organization is not only observing one of the many National Prevention Weeks that are noted throughout the year, it is doing something about the problem.
Laraine Turner, of Precious Life Services, says in honor of National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 8-Sept. 14), the non-profit organization this Wednesday afternoon will be hosting a free online workshop to further discuss the issue of suicide prevention with anyone in the Seguin community.
Turner says the objective for the workshop is to no longer hide behind the stigma of suicide but to bring to life the real problem that exists among the lives of friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and or clients.
“Because of the families, it’s a stigma. They are embarrassed that we have someone in our family that has killed themselves. Nobody wants to talk about that. Nobody wants them to look at them going ‘you know, their husband killed themselves, their daughter killed herself. They don’t want that. They’d rather label it as an accident – they accidentally overdosed. They accidentally did this and we need to really grasp it. We need to dive right into it and say, okay somebody in my family, they took their lives. They killed themselves so what can we do as a community. As long as we continue keeping it under the rug, keeping it behind closed doors and nobody wants to talk about – guess what, people that are needing help, that are thinking about killing themselves, they are going to feel isolated. They are going to feel ostracized like nobody is going to understand because nobody wants to talk about it. Nobody wants to deal with it and that’s the wrong approach. We need to get the word out there that there is help. If you are feeling this way, guess what, you are not alone,” said Turner.
Turner says Wednesday’s workshop will cover the identification and recognition of risk factors and warning signs of suicide, as well as debunking myths and facts behind the issue.
“With our Suicide Prevention Real Talk Workshop, we will explore the dynamics surrounding suicide such as the warning signs, the behaviors to look for, discuss what to do, what to say, where to get help including role playing with real life situations. We want the audience to be engaged if they choose but they can also dial in to just listen, but information is the key to helping yourself, a family, a friend or a colleague,” said Turner.
Turner says the problem is real and deserves serious attention.
“In Texas, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death. It’s the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24. Third leading cause of death for ages 25 to 34. Even our elderly, our seasoned individuals in our community, it’s the 18th leading cause of death for ages 65 and up and Texas ranks No. 35 nationally,” said Turner.
For years, Precious Life, also known as Precious Life Suicide Prevention, has served the Seguin and surrounding areas providing total mental health services for youth, teens and adults.
The complimentary online workshop will be held via Zoom from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday. To register, visit Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/identifying-and-recognizing-risk-factors-and-warning-signs-tickets-971413823897
A certificate of attendance will be provided upon request.
To learn more about the non-profit program visit https://preciouslifesuicideprevention.org.
Individuals may also call the local Precious Life Services office at 830-372-5980.