September 11, 2018 – The week of September 9th-15th is National Suicide Prevention Month. Whats Up? Wellness invites you to connect, speak up and reach out! What’s Up? Wellness Checkups, our local teen suicide prevention program, is offering in-school emotional health screenings and follow up support for 9th grade students at NJUHSD, TTUSD & Forest Charter schools. What’s Up? Wellness also offers in school groups & free Mental Health First Aid trainings.
Connect: Listen to each other. Help each other feel seen and supported. Share your stories safely. Help to de-stigmatize mental health. Learn the warning signs and more at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org, www.suicideispreventable.org and www.eachmindmatters.org. Take a Safetalk, ASIST or Mental Health First Aid training to better support the ones you love. Talk to your family, co-workers, your friends, even strangers if you feel called. We are all in this together.
Speak up: Attend our local Suicide Prevention Task Force. Contact Maureen @ mlgerecke@aol.com for more info. Get involved with social media campaigns: #bethedifference, #BeThe1to, #StopSuicide and #eachmindmatters.
Reach out: Call 911 in an emergency. Our Nevada County Behavioral Health Crisis Line is 530-265-5811. The national hotline is 800-273-TALK (8255) or text TALK to 741741.
Get local mental health support through education, advocacy and groups at www.naminevadacounty.org. Find peer support through www.spiritpeerempowermentcenter.org.
Suicide Prevention in Our High Schools
For support in reaching out to your teen What’s Up? Wellness Checkups are available for your 9th grader. What’s Up? also offers in school mindfulness, expressive arts & boys support groups and is currently working on starting a support group for Spanish speaking teens and their families at Nevada Union.
What’s Up? Wellness Checkups, founded by Shellee Sepko, LMFT & Jen Rhi Winders, MSW in 2012, is based on TeenScreen – an evidence based youth screening program developed by Columbia University that identifies suicide and mental health risks among teens. Since 2013, What’s Up? has screened over 1700 students, out of which 387 teens have been referred to follow-up services and support. In this past school year 88 students received group services.
What’s Up? Wellness is funded through Nevada County Behavioral Health’s Mental Health Services Act monies via the Millionaire’s Tax. They are always open to volunteer support as well as tax-deductible donations at www.gofundme.com/helpourteens toward increasing our groups and expanding our program to screen in our middle schools.
For more information on screenings or to sign up for a Mental Health First Aid training, contact What’s Up?@ (530) 268-5854 or www.whatsupwellness.com.