Suicide prevention training set in Leavenworth

LEAVENWORTH — A free suicide prevention training to help community members learn practical skills to recognize risk, talk about suicide, and support others will be hosted in Leavenworth on March 18.

“This is a really important topic that, quite frankly, can impact any of us. And the effects of such things kind of ripple through our communities,” said Chelan-Douglas Health District Mental Health and Substance Abuse Coordinator Garth Donald.

Hosted in partnership by Cascade Medical Center and Chelan-Douglas Health District, the training will use a community-focused approach informed by a model developed by Forefront Suicide Prevention, a Center of Excellence at the University of Washington. It will be led by Maxwell Moholy, PhD, and Aisha Houghton, MSW, LICSW, Cascade Medical’s integrated behavioral health clinicians and certified trainers through Forefront Suicide Prevention.

“Mental health exists. It is just like physical health, something that you should work on and pay attention to. When there's an issue, it's something that you might need assistance from professionals for, and that's just a very natural part of being alive,” said Donald.

The idea for the event originated with Leavenworth resident Delaney Adrian, who said she became aware of several suicides in her community last year. After discussing the issue with friends, Adrian said she reached out to Chelan-Douglas Health District out of concern that when a community experiences multiple losses in a short period, it can sometimes create a domino effect.

“As someone who has lost dear friends to suicide, I know how challenging it can be to find the energy to support this kind of initiative when grieving,” said Adrian. “I personally have been somewhat removed from experiencing the recent losses to our community and so I used my energy to support those around me.”

In addition to monitoring and tracking local suicide data, Donald said the Health District is able to coordinate with local organizations in affected communities to to strengthen prevention efforts, including trainings like this one. The stigma around mental health and seeking support remains one of the largest barriers to prevention, he said, making ongoing conversations especially important.

“I would urge anyone who has strong ties within the community, who interacts with a lot of different people on a daily basis, to go ahead and think about attending this one,” said Donald. “At the end of the day, having a strong, supportive community is really our best step in prevention.”

The free training will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Cascade High School Commons, located at 10190 Chumstick Highway. The training is open to the community, with no registration required.

“I personally took a suicide prevention training in 2018 and that experience helped me save another friend who was in a crisis. I hope that this training will support our community in supporting those in crisis so that we together experience less loss,” said Adrian.

According to Donald, Chelan-Douglas Health District is in the process of organizing additional training events throughout the region. Those interested in future events are encouraged to reach out to the health district for more information.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media