Nearly two people die in Oregon every day by suicide, one of the state’s most persistent yet largely preventable public health problems, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Suicide is complex, touching people of all ages and from all walks of life, making prevention the responsibility of an entire community. Please join us at this important forum to learn more about how suicide arises from the interaction of multiple risk factors, and how Zero Suicide—an evolving national initiative and aspirational goal—is aimed at addressing system gaps and providing best practices care.
PANELISTS:
Cheryl Emerson, MS, NCC, LPC
Cheryl Emerson is a licensed professional counselor in private practice in Bend. She offers a wide variety of counseling services to adults, adolescents, couples and families. She holds a master’s degree in counseling (clinical mental health), is certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors and is an adjunct instructor in the Masters in Counseling program at OSU-Cascades. She has served on the Deschutes County Advisory Team for the Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant and the Deschutes County Suicide Prevention Advisory Council. She currently serves on the Central Oregon Suicide Prevention Alliance, the affiliated Primary Care Workgroup and the OSU-Cascades Health and Wellness Advisory Council. Cheryl trains and consults in suicide prevention, intervention and postvention using evidence-based practices and programs.
MODERATOR:
Molly Wells Darling, LCSW
Molly Wells Darling is St. Charles Health System’s Director of Inpatient Behavioral Health Services, which covers all Emergency Department behavioral health services, the Psychiatric Services (PES) Unit and Sage View, a 15-bed adult psychiatric unit. Sage View is the only acute inpatient psychiatric facility east of the Cascades. Molly is one of the founding members of Crisis Intervention Training for Law Enforcement in this region, and has been instrumental in training law enforcement around the state in Crisis Intervention Training techniques for the last seven years. Molly has 22 years combined experience in emergency mental health evaluation and treatment, civil commitment services, inpatient psychiatric services, mental health treatment within the judicial system and outpatient treatment in the community mental health system.
