Nov. 4 program to talk about suicide prevention

Community members are invited to a program about suicide prevention at the Holyoke High School auditorium Monday, Nov. 4, from 6-7 p.m.

Maranda Miller of Centennial Mental Health Center will be teaching the Sources of Strength curriculum to students in fifth and sixth grade as well as junior high and high school during the day. The evening program is geared toward parents and adults.

The training will cover the core philosophy behind upstream and strength-based prevention, social network theory, safe messaging strategies and protective factors. After this training, community members will have increased skills as trusted adults for students (the No. 1 protective factor for preventing suicide and many other risk factors) and create strategies to integrate strength-focused content into faith-based communities, organizations and businesses. The training will provide an understanding of key risk factors and warning signs of suicide and where to connect for help.