The Survival Mode
Growing up in ultimate survival mode-- my father was a Vietnam veteran Air Force pilot-- and still living in survival mode is sometimes very overwhelming.
Screening for The Trevor Project
The S Word was screened at the Trevor Foundation followed by a wonderful and heartfelt discussion led by director Lisa Klein and Kelechi Ubozoh who is featured in the film. Thank you to the Trevor Project for all that you do! The Trevor Project was founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning [...]
The Cost of Medical System Failures
In this 3-part conversation, "The Cost of Medical System Failures,” NYT best-selling author Andrew Solomon, suicide loss survivor Shirlee Zane and psychologist Dr. April Foreman tell us why the medical system is failing our society due to cost and stigma.
SAMHSA Voice Awards
The S Word is the proud recipient of a 2017 Voice Award. Director Lisa Klein accepted the award and was joined on stage by Producer Doug Blush along with Kelechi Ubozoh and Ann Taylor who are both featured in film. The Voice Awards program honors consumer/peer/family leaders in recovery from mental health conditions and/or addictions. These [...]
Story Telling and Suicide Prevention
Director Lisa Klein was the guest on a recent Sally Spencer-Thomas podcast about why storytelling is so critical in effective suicide prevention. Intimate, vulnerable, inspiring stories let us know we are not alone. Stories of recovery allow us to see a road map before us that leads us out of our despair. To listen to [...]
Calling Crisis
When I tell people what I do for a living, I typically get one of three reactions: #1 “Oh wow! I could NEVER do THAT!”; #2 “So, do you get sexual callers?”; or, most commonly, #3 Silence. The conversation is stopped in its tracks. I am one of those mythical creatures that works on a [...]
“LIVE THROUGH THIS WITH ME”
I tried to kill myself in the summer of 2006. I was 23. I spent a month deeply entrenched in an exhaustive cycle of breaking up and getting back together with Emma*, the girl I'd loved for three years. She was cheating on me, but neither of us could sever ties with the other.
Having Hope and Suicide Prevention
In this 3-part conversation, "Having Hope and Suicide Prevention,” psychologist Dr. William Schmitz Jr., suicide loss survivor, Iden McCollum, and psychologist, Dr. April Foreman, talk about moving past the "suicide zone", and seeing hope beyond pain.
The Wound Is The Place Where The Light Enters You
On a chilly evening in late March of 2012, I walked into a room and sat down amongst a group of strangers. The only thing we had in common was we all had lost someone who died by suicide.
Ceiling in the Floor
When I was asked to speak at Brandon Toh’s memorial service, I had no idea of the journey it would take me on. The speech that I wrote ended up inspiring a full-length production called "Ceiling in the Floor, ” a theater/music/dance piece that tells the story of our friendship and features his incredible music. [...]