Suicide prevention is a critical issue for all mental health practitioners. School mental health staff often work on isolated teams and can be unaware of resources outside of their experience. They often feel isolated and are at higher risk of burnout. The third annual Mental Health Conference was hosted by Growth Works and the Hope Empowerment Coalition, formerly the Suicide Prevention Coalition. On November 5th, more than 375 participants, representing more than 8 local school districts and members from the community gathered at Thurston High School in Redford Township for a day of continuing education. This day of learning was designed with school mental health care teams in mind and included keynotes from Dr. Robert Fink and Matthew Swartz, LMSW, with the goal of informing conversations around mental health while building positive forces within the school community. The conference hosted 35 breakout presentation topics for participants to choose from, presented by a variety of school mental health specialists and Michigan organizations that work to prevent and also support families through mental health challenges. Attendees learned how to access services, had the opportunity to meet providers, and ask questions about how they can help support students and families. In addition 37 participants were trained as Question, Persuade and Respond, QPR, Gatekeepers. We want to thank our amazing team for all of the hard work and dedication that went into planning this year’s conference.
For more information about the Hope Empowerment Coalition, click here. And don’t forget to Save the Date, November 4th 2025, for the fourth annual Mental Health Conference.
