Group Addresses Suicide Awareness and Prevention

DAYTON—Talk to someone about how you feel. That was the take-away message about suicide when the Columbia County Coalition met last week.

Matthew Wyatt, Pastor of the Waitsburg Christian Church, said the topic of suicide is something most people want to avoid.

“That’s not working”, he said. “Let’s get the message out.”

Wyatt said the best policy is to encourage adults and youth to talk about suicidal feelings with people they can trust.

“As a leader I am doing my very best,” said Rick Walters, Prevention Counselor at the Dayton School District.

Walters pointed out that poverty, disengaged parents, and the reluctance to talk about feelings, places youth at risk for suicide.

He said girls are more apt to discuss their feelings, than boys are, and boys need to know it is okay to talk about how they feel.

“Students are our first priority,” said Dayton MS/HS Principal Kristina Brown.

Brown said in the short time she has been in the District, she has created an open door policy for students to talk to her, and she is working closely with Walters and School Counselor Susan Strege to identify and help students who are at risk.

She said Strege will be talking about suicide at a program she has planned for staff in February, and has also spent a significant amount of time working with students on social emotional learning.

Jennifer Price said Blue Mountain Counseling is partnering with the school. She said that because students are on the front line of defense when fellow students are in distress, training them about suicide awareness could be useful.

“We need to educate parents on what to watch out for,” said Pastor Wyatt. “This is a tough subject for parents.”

That is particularly true for boys in the middle years, said Public Health Officer Leslie Sweetwater. Sweetwater said it is important for mothers to maintain appropriate physical and emotional connection with boys during this “messy” time in their lives.

Sweetwater said the community has already been educated about adverse childhood conditions (ACEs). She said, “Let’s take it to the next step.”

The Public Health Department is currently sending out surveys about creating a community resilience initiative, she said.

Sweetwater said she will be attending a forum in the Tri-Cities in June to become a resilience certified trainer. After that, the work of building a resilient community can begin.

The resilience initiative is a tool to help youth to adapt to life’s challenges, and to avoid pitfalls like substance abuse, and to keep them from falling into despair, she said.