Listening with non-judgment and empathy is vital to catalyzing positive change and understanding what knowledge and resources will empower clients to work towards their goals and thrive. Rhonda's experience facilitating social-emotional learning groups for K-8th graders, mentoring young adults in college, and helping older adults navigate health, social isolation, and other later-life challenges has deepened her understanding of the social determinants of mental and behavioral health throughout the lifespan. Rhonda brings not only a bachelor's and master's level social work education but also life experience, additional post-graduate training in trauma-informed cognitive behavioral and somatic therapies, and over 34 hours of training in assisting clients challenged by neural atypical issues such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder. As a Licensed Master of Social Work working under supervision, Rhonda collaborates with clients to help them gain the awareness and skills they need to build solid foundations to create the life they want.

WHY IS SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING IMPORTANT?

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10-24-year-olds, and between 2007 and 2018, there was a 57% increase in youth suicide rates among this age group.

• About half (48%) of bisexual young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, and 27% attempted suicide.

• LGBTQ+ young people are more than 4x as likely to attempt suicide than their peers.

• In Georgia, suicide by firearms makes up 63% of suicides, and 79% of suicide deaths are males compared to 21% of females.

  In September, “Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) introduced new bipartisan legislation, the Stabilization to Prevent (STOP) Suicide Act, to expand access to evidence-based stabilization care for individuals with serious thoughts of suicide.” 

Sources:

Curtin, 2020; Johns et al., 2019; The Trevor Project, 2023; Georgia DBHDD, 2022, p.1; Raskin, 2024

If you or someone you are worried about needs crisis support, you can reach a trained crisis counselor no matter where you live in the United States:

Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org

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