Tag: resilience

Resilience Expert Dr. Leo Flanagan

All Network Episodes, The Trauma Impact

Resilience Expert Dr. Leo Flanagan shares valuable lessons learned throughout his career working with trauma communities. Tune in to learn about the unique challenges helps face when working with victims that have endured trauma. Dr. Flanagan closes with 3 tips to help us stay hardy and resilient during these troubling times.

Leo F. Flanagan, Jr., PhD has more than 30 years of experience in the crafting and activation of business transformations by integrating human capital, innovation, and customer loyalty strategies. He has held senior level corporate positions at Merrill Lynch, Willis Holdings and The Forum Corporation. He consults across a wide range of industries including digital media, consumer goods, financial services, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology.

Consulting engagements have ranged from working with PE firms and portfolio companies on turnarounds and accelerations to partnering with global enterprises such as Bank of America, Citi, The Home Depot, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, McDonalds, MMC and UBS to craft and activate strategies to drive revenue growth, engage employees, upgrade talent and deliver the brand.

His brand of business transformation is fast, lean, practical and integrated with – not burdened on – the business. His work produces a true ROI. Double digit increases in revenue, customer loyalty and employee engagement and reductions in cost are trademarks of his leadership. One leading financial services company recently calculated the ROI from his work at 67:1. The CFO of a major bank cited his work more valuable than a $1bn acquisition with an 18% ROE.

Early in his career, Leo was a faculty member at Cornell University’s, School of Industrial and Labor Relations. A regular speaker at leading universities, Carnegie Mellon recently selected him as a faculty member and executive coach for its new Executive Leadership Academy. The Academy will prepare high-potential African Americans for advancement.

Always active in philanthropy and volunteer work, Leo currently is on the Board of Tuesday’s Children, an advisor to Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County and a member of Ministry to the Homeless. As Director of Community Resilience & Behavioral Health for H.E.A.R.T. 911 he volunteered in response to the Newtown School Shooting, Superstorm Sandy and the Moore Oklahoma EF-5 tornado.

Leo earned his PhD at City University of New York, his M.A. at Hunter College and his B.A. at Fordham University. Leo and his wife Maureen have four daughters. They also share a passion for travel as well as skiing, tennis, and sailing. Leo is also an avid fisherman.

Global Perspectives on World Suicide Prevention — Taking a Glimpse inside the World Congress of the International Association for Suicide

All Network Episodes, Hope Illuminated

Over 855 delegates from 57 countries convened in Derry/Londonderry to share the science, stories and strategy of suicide prevention and suicide grief/trauma support. The theme of the conference was “Breaking Down Walls, Building Bridges” and the conference planners were exceptionally mindful about equity in their selection of speakers and content. The voices of people with lived experience were prevalent throughout and one of my favorite sessions was among prominent suicidologists and clinicians who shared their experiences with discrimination and prejudice within the field of suicide prevention. We also had an opportunity to honor the lives and service of two giants in our field who died way too soon — Prof Allison Milner and Dr. Jan Mokkenstorm. Tune in to be inspired to be part of this international community pulling together to prevent suicide and alleviate suffering. For more information go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast

To Mark World Suicide Prevention Day, Mental Health News Radio Network Raises Awareness With Its Podcast Hope Illuminated

New Mental Health Radio Network Podcast Hope Illuminated shines a light on suicide and how to prevent it.

Hosted by psychologist Sally Spencer-Thomas, who lost her brother Carson to suicide in 2004, Hope Illuminated provides a platform to international experts who share the stories, science and strategies of suicide prevention, intervention and crisis response.

Hope Illuminated is for people living with suicidal intensity, suicide attempt survivors, suicide loss survivors, caregivers, the mental health community and all those interested in making a difference in this area.

Suicide and Culture — Arts, Religion and Social Justice: Interview with Dr. Erminia Colucci | Episode 44

All Network Episodes, Black Lives Matter, Hope Illuminated

In the United States our suicide rates are going up, but in much of the world, the suicide rates are going down. In this interview I speak with the world renowned Erminia Colucci to discuss the Anglo perspective of a highly medicalized perspective of suicide and contrast that with an understanding of suicide in a larger context. In her view, we must situate suicide prevention within a social, cultural and political context to be effective. She is part of a group of “Critical Suicidologists” who are challenging some of the “truths” we have accepted within the suicide prevention field. As an activist researcher she wants to engage with the community and helps us better to understand the root causes of inequality, oppression, violence and related conditions of human suffering.

Erminia and I have this conversation at the World Congress for Suicide Prevention in Derry, Ireland. We are sitting in an art studio in the Playhouse for this conversation, and explore a ‘different way’ to help people on their darkest day.

Take aways:
Suicide needs to be seen in a larger context within the cultures people belong to

We need to break the silence in some areas of understanding suicide like social justice

By exploring alternative methods that work for people, like the arts, faith, and others, we can make a difference to alleviate suffering and prevent suicide.

About Dr. Erminia Colucci
Erminia Colucci
Erminia Colucci is currently a senior lecturer at the Department of Psychology at Middlesex University London (UK), however she has lectured and conducted research all over the4 world including Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and in her home country of Italy. In 2015 she was awarded the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s award for innovative research among young researchers. The focus of her research is on on the cultural implications of suicide on mental health and suicide with a focus on low-middle income countries and immigrant and refugee populations. Her key interests are human rights and mental health, suicide and suicide prevention, domestic violence against women and children, child neglect/exploitation, spirituality and faith-based and spiritual/traditional healing, and first-hand stories of people with lived-experience of ‘mental illness’ and suicidal behavior. Erminia is passionate about using arts-based and visual methods, particularly photography and ethnographic film-documentary, in her research, teaching and advocacy activities. Erminia is the chair of the International Association for Suicide Prevention SIG in Culture and Suicidal Behaviour, Chair of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry SIG on Arts, Media and Mental Health and founder of Movie-ment (https://movie-ment.org) and Aperture, the first Asia-Pacific ethnographic documentary festival. For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/44

Navy Yard Shooting Survivor Sherrie Lawson: PTSD and Therapy

All Network Episodes, The Trauma Impact

Sherrie bravely spends an hour with me talking about PTSD, therapy and resilience. Sherrie continued to look for professional support despite setbacks with the clinicians she encountered along the way. This is a must listen for clinicians to hear what worked and what did not and for survivors who are still searching for the right help.

Sherrie Lawson survived the Washington Navy Yard shooting that occurred on September 16, 2013. Through her healing journey she became passionate about supporting others that also suffer from the “invisible wounds’ of trauma. She joined The Rebels Project as a member in 2014 and began working with TRP in an official capacity in 2016. After spending 15 years in Washington, DC and returning home to her native NC for two years she relocated to Denver, Colorado to become even more involved in the TRP mission of providing support for survivors of mass tragedy. Sherrie currently volunteers as Director of Operations for TRP. In addition to her work with TRP she lectures at the University of Colorado-Denver and a is SoulCollage(R) Facilitator.

www.soulcollage.com

Tuesday’s Children: 9/11 and Long Term Healing with Sallie Lynch

All Network Episodes, The Trauma Impact

Sallie Lynch Program Consultant for Tuesday’s Children shares her intimate knowledge and experiences with working with survivors from Sept. 11th and subsequent communities impacted by mass violence. Sallie has a breadth of knowledge, wealth of experience and an unparalleled amount of compassion to help the world. Tune in as Sallie gives us an in depth look into helping survivors rise.
Sallie Lynch, Senior Program and Development Consultant at Tuesday’s Children has nearly 18 years of experience serving families of September 11th victims, responders and survivors, and has worked through Tuesday’s Children with international victim service providers and with other communities impacted by mass tragedies, including Newtown, CT, Orlando, FL, Las Vegas, NV and Parkland, FL. She is the principal researcher and author of Tuesday’s Children’s evidence-based Long-Term Healing Model, a five-module training curriculum, toolkit and compilation of lessons learned on community healing and resilience.

She previously coordinated a collaborative research and intervention program with Columbia University School of
Social Work and the FDNY Counseling Service Unit working with 9/11 widows and children. She is a co-author of the book FDNY Crisis Counseling: Innovative Responses to 9/11 Firefighters, Families and Communities (Wiley, 2006). Sallie is a member of the Advisory Board for Peace of Mind Afghanistan (PoMA), a national campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues in Afghanistan. She holds an MA in Anthropology from Columbia University and a BA in Cultural Studies from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.

Amy C. O’Neill, MS, LPC has built a career in mental health over two and a half decades and traveled a personal path that has proven over and over again that resilience is key to truly living healthy, both in mind and body. Resilience enables us to face tragedy and still take the necessary steps to go through. Resilience is mandatory for us to recover when obstacles interfere. And, as Amy can attest, resilience can be harnessed. After methodically training and successfully completing three Ironman Triathlons, and the prestigious Boston Marathon five times, Amy knows how mental and physical focus can lead to success. Perhaps her biggest life test was being thrust into the role of a Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor. Her testimony understanding the path of the unthinkable has opened up her eyes to a new way of going through adversity. Amy’s goal is to share her keen and personal insight to share her lived and learned knowledge with others. The survival journey is complicated but we can not only survive challenges but also thrive and create a life we love

Working Together to Prevent Suicide: What the World Can Learn from One Another on World Suicide Prevention Day” Episode 43 with Professor Ro

All Network Episodes, Hope Illuminated

The World Health Organization has declared suicide prevention a global imperative. Every year World Suicide Prevention falls on September 10th. This year I interviewed Professor Rory O’Connor as he prepared for the 30th World Congress of Suicide Prevention in Derry, Northern Ireland.

Rory O’Connor B&W.png
About Professor Rory O’Connor
Rory O’Connor was “born to be a psychologist,” knowing at an early age he was fascinated with human behavior and emotions. Currently he is a Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Glascow and the Director of Suicidal Behavior Research Laboratory. The personal impact he has experienced in losing people he cared about to suicide helps to fuel his passion for learning more about the experience of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. His Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behavior is well respected internationally.

Professor O’Connor is a global leader as the Past President of the International Academy for Suicide Research and the current Vice President for the International Association for Suicide Prevention. For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/43

9/11, Las Vegas and More with Mike Dempsey

All Network Episodes, The Trauma Impact

In this episode, Mike Dempsey shares his incredible survival story from September 11th, 2001. The impact of this attack spans his life then he is again confronted with mass violence again in Las Vegas during the Route 91 shooting. Being one of a growing number of Americans impacted by multiple tragedies Mike shares his thoughts on his journey and how he approaches life after the impact of trauma.

Mike Dempsey is a founding Board member for the WTC United Family Group, which is now known as The September 11 Education Trust. Mike coordinates peer support programs such as a recent event in Parkland, FL as well as the Oklahoma City/September 11th Family Exchange, which is a mutual peer support program, which unites the September 11th community with the members of the Oklahoma City bombing community held each year in April and September. Throughout each portion of the exchange, peer support activities are held to promote healing and connection that include support groups, panel discussions and visits to respective memorials and commemorative ceremonies. Mike was also a member of the Coalition of 9/11 Families from 2003-2006.
Mike Dempsey heads up enterprise risk management services for Dixon Hughes Goodman’s Financial Services Group and is based in North Carolina. Mike was previously a director at KPMG for 7 and a half years in the regulatory safety and soundness team specializing in operational risk, enterprise risk, and third party risk management. Mike also worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, where he was the lead examiner and team leader for Large Bank Supervision based in Charlotte and a member of the inter-agency Basel Qualification Team. Prior to the Fed, Mike was regional head of Operational Risk and global head of business continuity at Hypo Real Estate Group based in Munich, Germany and Depfa Bank based in Dublin, Ireland from 2007-2009 and was head of investment banking operational risk for Credit Suisse from 2000-2007.
Mike holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Nova Southeastern University and a bachelor’s degree from SUNY / Albany.

Amy C. O’Neill, MS,LPC has built a career in mental health over two and a half decades, and traveled a personal path that has proven over and over again that resilience is key to truly living healthy, both in mind and body. Resilience enables us to face tragedy and still take the necessary steps to go through. Resilience is mandatory for us to recover when obstacles interfere. And, as Amy can attest, resilience can be harnessed. After methodically training and successfully completing three Ironman Triathlons, and the prestigious Boston Marathon five times, Amy knows how mental and physical focus can lead to success. Perhaps her biggest life test was being thrust into the role of a Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor. Her testimony understanding the path of the unthinkable has opened up her eyes to a new way of going through adversity. Amy’s goal is to share her keen and personal insight share her lived and learned knowledge with others. The survival journey is complicated but we can not only survive challenges, but also thrive and create a life we love.

Cutting through the Clutter — How to Effectively Get your Message of Suicide Prevention Heard: Interview with Dr. Bart Andrews | Episode 42

All Network Episodes, Hope Illuminated

As we approach National Suicide Prevention Week, it sometimes feels like a multitude of voices are clamoring for attention with various (and sometimes conflicting) messages. How can we cut through the clutter and be heard? One place where we can learn lessons is from is big business. A recent article by Peter Gasca in Inc. magazine called “Get Your Message Heard With This Simple 5- Step Checklist” offers helpful tips to the suicide prevention community.

The 5-Step Checklist for Effective Messaging
Add Value — does your message improve the lives of those who receive it? Is it helpful? Is there a clear call to action?
Be Clear — does your message get to the point and have a direct call to action? Are you using jargon or acronyms?
Be Concise — does your message use as few words as possible? Better yet — have you considered an infographic to convey your message?
Be Compelling — does your message use urgency, storytelling, humor or something unexpected to get the receiver’s attention? How are you engaging others?
Be Credible — are you trustworthy? Use citations and get your information from highly credible sources.

Recently, with major news coverage of the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” and celebrity suicide deaths, we are having more conversations about suicide, but are we having the right conversations? Are we telling a more powerful tale? In this episode Dr. Bart Andrews shares his story of deciding to “come out” as a suicide attempt survivor, how he challenges “safe messaging guidelines,” and what he believes are most important suicide prevention messages need to be.

About Dr. Bart Andrews
bart andrews headshot B&W.png
Bart Andrews, PhD, is Vice President of Telehealth & Home/Community Services at Behavioral Health Response. Dr. Andrews is the Chair of Missouri’s Suicide Prevention Network, Co-Chair of the Suicide Lifeline’s Standards, Training and Practices committee, a member of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s (SPRC) Steering Committee, an SPRC ZeroSuicide Academy Faculty member and member of the American Association of Suicidology’s Executive Board of Directors. Dr. Andrews is a suicide attempt survivor and a proponent of embracing of lived expertise in our suicide prevention efforts. For more information about this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/42

Survival from a Terrorist Attack

All Network Episodes, The Trauma Impact

In this episode Sarri Singer shares her story of being a victim of terrorism and how it inspired her to create the organization Strength to Strength which is connecting survivors from around the world.
Sarri Singer, born in Lakewood, New Jersey, is the daughter of New Jersey State Senator, Robert Singer. Until 9/11, Sarri worked two blocks away from the World Trade Center. Deeply moved by the tragedy of 9/11, Sarri decided to resign from her position in December 2001 and move to Israel to help victims of terror. While there, Sarri volunteered with various organizations working with victims of terror.

On June 11, 2003, Sarri was on Bus 14 in Jerusalem when an 18 year old Palestinian terrorist dressed as a religious Jew boarded and blew himself up. 17 people were killed, including all those seated and standing around her, and over 100 people were injured. Sarri was hospitalized for two weeks and then returned to New Jersey to be with family. Her story became high profile. She appeared on television stations such as CBS, FoxNews, CNN and radio interviews. She spoke before members of Congress in Washington, D.C. and politicians in New York and New Jersey. In September 2003 she returned to work and volunteering in Israel. In June 2004, she returned to the United States to take care of medical issues associated with her attack.

Sarri is the Founder and Director of Strength to Strength, focusing on bringing together victims of terrorism together from around the world and assisting with long term psychological needs. Sarri has addressed audiences throughout the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and Israel and continues to share her unique insight into the ongoing struggle for victims of terror in Israel and around the world.

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