Did you know over 42,000 people every year die by suicide?  That is one person every 12.3 minutes or almost 5 deaths by suicide every hour of the day!  Recent research estimates that for each death by suicide, 147 people are exposed (6.3 million annually). Among those exposed, 18 per loss experience a major life disruption.

Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 5 – 11, 2016. During this week, individuals and organizations around the country and the world broadcast the message that suicide can be prevented.  The goal is to reach as many people as possible with the tools and resources to support themselves and those around them.

What can you do?

1. If you are thinking about suicide, please talk to someone – a trusted family member or friend, a chaplain or faith-based person, a mental health professional, your medical doctor, a coworker, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273 TALK (8255).  People do want to listen and to help.

2. Learn about the warning signs of suicide.  Many people do not know the signs – but how can you recognize someone is at risk if you don’t know what you are looking for?  Check out www.suicideispreventable.org or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to learn more about what to look for.

3. Add the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) to your phone’s address book (thanks to Dr. Ursula Whiteside for this idea).  If you, or the person you are talking to, are a veteran in crisis, call 1-800-273-8255 then press “1” to connect to someone trained to help Veterans and other Service Members in crisis.

Suicide prevention is everyone’s business, and anyone can participate in National Suicide Prevention Week.  Find out more about joining this collective call to action by visiting www.iasp.info or the American Association of Suicidology.

Welcome to my blog, and thanks for reading.  My goal is to help you keep up with the ever expanding fields of suicide, trauma, stress, and crisis response by writing about recent developments, practical applications, and useful information.

Who am I?  My name is Dan Clark, and I’m often called Dr. Dan in my trainings and seminars.  I’ve been a psychologist for several decades, specializing in trauma, suicide, disasters, etc.  You know, the ‘easy topics’ in behavioral health.

My full-time job is with a police agency as their police psychologist.  I interview police applicants, teach at our law enforcement academy, provide treatment and emergency response to employees and family members, and consult with the chain of command on personnel issues.

I am also a U.S. Army Reserve psychologist, and deployed to the first Gulf War with 1st Armored Division.  That was quite a learning experience!  I still don’t like being in tents.

I started Critical Concepts Consulting almost 20 years ago to answer requests from people who wanted me to talk with them about suicide, trauma, stress, and crisis response topics.  I’ve worked with agencies and organizations such as Concerns of Police Survivors (working with C.O.P.S. during National Police Week is one of my annual highlights!), the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and many local and State law enforcement, fire, and EMS Agencies.

Upcoming blog topics include a variety of apps useful in trauma and suicide, the latest national statistics on suicide in the US, and other topics I hope you find useful.  If you are interested in a particular topic, please talk to me.

If you interested in more of my background, want to review my CV, or are interested in my upcoming trainings, please visit my website at criticalconcepts.org.

Welcome to my blog, and thanks for reading.  My goal is to help you keep up with the ever expanding fields of suicide, trauma, stress, and crisis response by writing about recent developments, practical applications, and useful information.

Who am I?  My name is Dan Clark, and I’m often called Dr. Dan in my trainings and seminars.  I’ve been a psychologist for several decades, specializing in trauma, suicide, disasters, etc.  You know, the ‘easy topics’ in behavioral health.

My full-time job is with a police agency as their police psychologist.  I interview police applicants, teach at our law enforcement academy, provide treatment and emergency response to employees and family members, and consult with the chain of command on personnel issues.

I am also a U.S. Army Reserve psychologist, and deployed to the first Gulf War with 1st Armored Division.  That was quite a learning experience!  I still don’t like being in tents.

I started Critical Concepts Consulting almost 20 years ago to answer requests from people who wanted me to talk with them about suicide, trauma, stress, and crisis response topics.  I’ve worked with agencies and organizations such as Concerns of Police Survivors (working with C.O.P.S. during National Police Week is one of my annual highlights!), the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and many local and State law enforcement, fire, and EMS Agencies.

Upcoming blog topics include a variety of apps useful in trauma and suicide, the latest national statistics on suicide in the US, and other topics I hope you find useful.  If you are interested in a particular topic, please talk to me.

If you interested in more of my background, want to review my CV, or are interested in my upcoming trainings, please visit my website at criticalconcepts.org.