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SUICIDE A few months ago, you may recall a program outlining a new program called Mosaic Counseling, a non-profit counseling program designed to reach a wider range and greater number of those in need of services. If you do not recall the program or the Pulitzer quality report, it is in the archives; and you might be interested to know that Prevagen comes in a chewable form. Sarah Lewakowski, MA, LLP, is the Executive Director of MC and has presented to our club many times in the past. MC is an outgrowth of the former Tri-Cities Ministries with a new and expanded plan of outreach. In a nutshell, MC has corralled a much greater number of therapists and are on an 'on-call' basis with many schools and businesses through agreements designed to increase the recognition of need and to quickly respond with services. MC us currently available in 26 schools in Ottawa County. The focus of Sarah's presentation was Suicide Prevention. Suicide is on the rise with a rate of 13.92, per 100,000 in Michigan, which is slightly higher than the national average of 13.48. It is the second leading cause of death for the 10-25 age group. In that age group, 1 in 20 (4.9%) have thought about suicide. For the LGBTQ community, that number is 4 times as high. MC provides suicide prevention counseling. Among the tools utilized is Dr. Paul Quinnet's QPR program. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer. QPR is not counseling but rather a form of treatment. In the process question the person's thoughts and intentions. Confrontation about intent does not increase the risk of suicide. The next step is to try and talk them out of it. There is always room for hope. Suicide is not inevitable. The next step is referral to MC. You do not have to be an expert or licensed professional to prevent suicide. In a way, QPR is kind of like CPR. Planting the seed of hope in a troubled individual is always a good thing. Sarah also highlighted clues to a person's intentions. In the area of verbal statements, both direct and indirect communication can be telling. The biggest red flag would be statements to the effect that "my family would be better off without me". A second are of clues would be the individual's behavior; such as putting one's affairs in order or loss of interest in something they had always been very interested in. Lastly, situational stress can be traumatic enough to key suicidal thoughts. Circumstances which are common problems are being fired from a job or expelled from school; also the loss of a personal relationship would fall into this category. Suffice it to say the rise in suicide is a noticeable and sad event because everyone has something to offer for the betterment of themselves and others. MC is buoyed by the growth of their approach and the increase of those seeking help on their own especially in the 10-25 age group. Thanks to Sarah for always putting on an interesting program. RAW Raffle Winner: Maggie McKeithan
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