September is the perfect time to talk about the unthinkable – suicide.
September 8 is RUOK? Day and September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. Both days aim to reach out to people with mental illness to reassure them help is available.
The Land and Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) have partnered to get more people talking about mental health, and are hosting the next Friday Forum at noon on September 2 to discuss suicide prevention.
Life can be tough and problems can seem overwhelming at times. It can be very difficult to know what to do and how to cope, but there is help available.
Our expert panellists are ready to answer your questions about a number of important issues, including:
- Preventing suicide and providing support in tough times
- How to tell if someone is thinking about suicide and what to do about it
- How to have a difficult conversation
- How to reduce stigma associated with mental illness, and
- Understanding what it is like to be bereaved by suicide.
Fiona Livingstone has been working on the Farm-Link suicide prevention project since early 2013. She has spent 10 years on a farm, is married to a farmer, and understands the pressures faced by the farming community.
Rose Hogan has a community welfare background of 30 years, including family support, domestic violence court advocacy, as a trainer and educator, working with all ages in regional and remote locations. Since 2013 Rose has co-ordinated North Coast NSW StandBy Response Service, a postvention response to the health and well-being of people bereaved through suicide.
Rachael Buckerfield is a general psychologist working with TAFE Western as a counsellor and psychologist.
Based in Orange, Rachael has skills and experience in cognitive behavioural intervention, relaxation training, parent education, social skills training, and mood management. She co-ordinates many events across the region, engaging all sectors of the community.
Alice Munro is a rural accredited mental health social worker with more than seven years of experience in mental health and drug and alcohol across western NSW.
She sees clients of all ages with a range of issues including grief and loss, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, psychosis, substance abuse and chronic stress, many of whom think of suicide and self-harm.
Alice is committed to working with them, having had personal and professional experiences of how suicide can affect a family and a rural community.
