UVU will host its third annual conference on suicide prevention Friday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Sorensen Student Center.
The conference is a single-day event that will provide a wide range of resources. The conference is designed with students, professionals, families, service providers, and community members in mind.
As of 2016, Utah was ranked as the ninth-highest state in the U.S. for suicide rate. More than 600 people were lost to suicide that year.
“We’d like to be able to open up discussions with the community. It’s part of UVU’s mission and core vision to engage the community in these types of conversations,” said Toni Harris, assistant dean of administration in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The conference will feature an opening keynote from Taryn Aiken. As a widely respected and dedicated advocate, Aiken shares her story and passion to give hope and educate our communities about suicide. She is a survivor of her own attempts as well as having lost her father due to suicide. Aiken is a founding member of the Utah Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and currently serves as the area director for Utah and Nevada.
The afternoon plenary address will be offered by Michael J. Staley, who is the suicide prevention research coordinator and psychological autopsy examiner at the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. Staley's current research focuses on 10-to-17-year-old Utahns who died by suicide in the previous two years. This research aims to develop a specific set of risk and protective factors that will inform and guide prevention efforts in schools, communities, and throughout the state.
In addition to the keynote and plenary speakers, the program will include several concurrent sessions intended to help participants find hope, and healing, and to explore the complex aspects of suicide and prevention.
After lunch, there will be a dove release ceremony to commemorate those lost to suicide.
Tickets are $70, but free for current UVU students. Paid registration includes lunch, parking, and all conference materials. Up to five continuing education units will be available at the conference free of charge for those interested.
Event registration can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-uvu-conference-on-suicide-prevention-registration-46612942566?aff=ehomecard
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