The Art of Safe Storytelling: Using Our Stories to Heal
Public speaking is one of the most common fears. Now couple the fear of speaking with sharing a deeply personal and possibly traumatic story with strangers and you get an even more volatile cocktail of fear.
Reece confronts the dreaded death by PowerPoint, tackles trauma mascots, and challenges audience assumptions as she shares her story of stumbling through the frighteningly vulnerable world of speaking about personal tragedies. Reece divulges the hard lessons she learned from the stage (many more humorous than she’d wish to admit), and offers practical skills and tips on how speakers can increase their well being, the impact of their stories, and better inspire their audiences to take action while keeping their well being in mind.
This training is perfect for aspiring speakers who want to share their personal stories in an impactful and trauma informed manner.
Standard Content-Focused Workshops
Bullying Prevention
Cyberbullying Prevention
Intentional Internet Use and Safety
Population Specific Suicide Prevention
Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention
Schools and Suicide Liability Prevention
Postvention
Suicide Prevention in the Day of Distancing
Prescription Drug Prevention
Substance Use, Misuse, and Abuse
Prevention in the Day of Distancing
Neuroscience of Mental Health for Everyone
Social Emotional Learning
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience
Interpersonal Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention
Trauma
Trauma Informed Organizations
Tackling Tertiary Trauma
Staying Centered Against Tilting Worldviews
The Cost of Caring: How We Can Reboot When Emotions Exhaust Us (Compassion Fatigue)
Safe Story Telling and Presenting
Bystander Intervention Basics
Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention
Human Trafficking
The Illusion of Inclusion: Bridging Beyond the Obvious (Diversity and Inclusion)
Virtual Tips and Training
Standard Keynotes
On the Other Side of Suicide
Suicide is terrifying, confusing, and taboo. It is often not discussed because it is viewed as an untouchable topic. Yet despite the limited discourse it still touches so many of our lives. Through frank conversation, experience, and even levity, Reece shines a light on this dark topic in a unique way in order to change how it is seen and understood. Reece dives headfirst into this social issue to illustrate how changing our perspective can give us the strength to solve even the most complex issue. Reece makes suicide prevention tangible and tackle-able by offering practical and easy ways to impact the world around us.
Reece says, the question should no longer be, “to be, or not to be,” but how to be? Reece shows us how being human is easier than we ever could’ve imagined.
Pressing Play After the (Not so Great) Pausedemic
Let’s face it, this past year (going on two) has been hard, harder than hard. Many of us had to learn new skills, uproot our routines, or even start completely over. We’ve lost a lot, And even though times are still uncertain, one thing is clear, emotion is at an all-time high in the world.
Some of us are worn out, tired of the never-ending negative news, and struggling to connect with who we once were. Some of us are feeling the pressure to jump back into our old habits without acknowledging everything we have endured, or even accomplished. What’s happened to YOU through the pandemic? Loss, grief, confusion, disconnection? Have you taken the time to process the past two years? What has your pause button looked like and are you still in a state of timeout?
Reece helps you take a moment for you so you can get ready to press play, reconnect, and get back to yourself. Because we all deserve to take care of ourselves a bit extra right now.
The Southern Fried Asian: No Direction but Up
It was easy to be seen as an outsider for Reece growing up in the South. Having just lost her father to a tragic suicide, Reece found herself surrounded by strangers as she was shipped to Arkansas to be adopted by family. Her face couldn’t hide the story that brought her there, the story that was often used against her, the story that kept her silent and alone all through her formative years. Eventually Reece learned the power that comes from using her story to tear down barriers and open hearts that have been all but closed. Reece’s story is one of hardship, empowerment, and refusal to be discounted.
The Art of Safe Storytelling: Using Our Stories to Heal
Public speaking is one of the most common fears. Now couple the fear of speaking with sharing a deeply personal and possibly traumatic story with strangers and you get an even more volatile cocktail of fear.
Reece confronts the dreaded death by PowerPoint, tackles trauma mascots, and challenges audience assumptions as she shares her story of stumbling through the frighteningly vulnerable world of speaking about personal tragedies. Reece divulges the hard lessons she learned from the stage (many more humorous than she’d wish to admit), and offers practical skills and tips on how speakers can increase their wellbeing, the impact of their stories, and better inspire their audiences to take action while keeping their wellbeing in mind.
This keynote is perfect for aspiring speakers who want to share their personal stories in an impactful and trauma informed manner.
Resilient Youth: Empowering Youth with the Skills to Bounce Back
Today’s youth are encountering hardships like never before, cyberbullying, active shooters, and a global pandemic. Yet, adults often say today’s youth aren’t resilient or capable compared to others throughout time.
Reece connects with youth in a refreshingly real and honest way by first validating their struggles and barriers and then by acknowledging their immense strengths and abilities. She listens to the problems they are faced with and encourages youth to be their own problem solvers. Reece pulls their own expertise from them in order to create realistic and relatable ways to build their resilience and that of those around them. If “children are our future”, then they must be given the courage and freedom to solve today’s ever-changing problems.
Competency through Crisis: Strategies to Cultivate Safer Schools
Everyone knows the phrase, “learn as you go,” but time and again we have seen how much more effective we are when we prepare. Reece’s talk shares the difficult truth of what happens when we wait to handle a crisis during a crisis. She offers insights into why we put planning off, and presents alternative options that will build an organization’s confidence, compassion, and strategic action capabilities.
Workshop Overviews and Recommendations
Substance Use: The Cycles of Addiction The Hard Truth of Family History
Participants will learn general associations between the brain and the effects of substances on how it functions. Participants will be introduced to a brief overview of various issues related to substance use. Participants will also examine genetic predispositions to the impacts of substances, and how this can create generational cycles of addiction and trauma.
Participants will then dive into strategies geared having toward open, honest, and preventative conversations with youth that can better prepare them in regards to substances. Finally, participants will learn the importance of normalizing assertive problem-solving skills to help youth better navigate real world inevitabilities in both confident and self-sustaining ways.
Audience: Youth Aged 13 and Up and Youth Serving Individuals
Youth Suicide Prevention: An Introductory Overview
Participants will be introduced to a brief overview of the history of suicide and how it created today’s stigma around the issue. Participants will be able to identify common misperceptions associated with mental health, mental illness, and suicide. The audience will learn associations between the brain and the effects of depression on the physical and emotional person; and learn to differentiate between risk factors and warning signs.
Attendees will also learn how to effectively connect persons at risk to caregivers, as well as, the importance of normalizing a help seeking environment.
Audience: Youth Aged 15 and Up and Youth Serving Individuals
Restrictions: Not recommended for anyone who has suffered a suicide loss within the past 6 months and is not in a healthy stage of their recovery process.
Schools and Suicide Prevention Liability
This course is ideal for the school and higher education setting and covers the scope of schools and suicide prevention. Presenter will cover the standard areas of warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for those at risk of suicide within the school setting.
Presenter will highlight the roles of schools in regards to prevention planning for at risk students. The course will cover Arkansas’ suicide prevention legislation and the future of suicide prevention within the state. Presenter will cover the need for a suicide prevention plan for all organizations, workplaces, and communities. Presenter will also make available a template for a comprehensive suicide prevention plan for any agencies wanting to incorporate one into their existing infrastructure.
Audience: Ideal for school and Higher Education administrators, staff, faculty, school resource officers, parents, and students.
Restrictions: Not recommended for anyone who has suffered a suicide loss within the past 6 months and is not in a healthy stage of their recovery process.
Suicide Prevention: An Introductory Overview
This course is ideal for the general public and covers the broad subject of suicide prevention. Presenter will cover the standard areas of warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for those at risk of suicide. Beyond the standards, the presenter will highlight the history of suicide and the stigma, often found in Western Culture. The course will also engage the audience to better understand that depression and suicide, does in fact, start within the brain as a physical disease. Presenter will leave the audience with a resonating call to action so they are empowered to take suicide prevention back to their workplaces, homes, and communities.
Audience: Any
Restrictions: Not recommended for anyone who has suffered a suicide loss within the past 6 months and is not in a healthy stage of their recovery process.
Suicide Postvention: The Circle of Care: Communicating through Coping and Courage after a Loss
This course is ideal for any group or organization looking to incorporate postvention care into their policies and protocols it covers the scope of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. Presenter will cover the standard areas of protective factors, holistic care, and grief for those exposed and affected by suicide within any organizational setting.
Presenter will highlight the roles of organizations in regards to postvention planning for those affected. The course will cover a step by step plan to ensure that those affected are care for, your organization’s communication must do’s and don’t do’s, and how to move forward after a suicide incident.
Audience: Ideal for school and Higher Education administrators, staff, faculty, school resource officers, parents, community organizations, funeral home directors, recovery and support group leaders and members, and survivors of loss or attempts.
Restrictions: Not recommended for anyone who has suffered a suicide loss within the past 6 months and is not in a healthy stage of their recovery process.
Schools and Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention: Educators and School Resource Officers
This course is ideal for any group or organization looking to incorporate postvention care into their policies and protocols it covers the broad scopes of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. Presenter will cover the standard areas of warning signs, risk factors and protective factors in regards to preventative efforts. Presenter will overview various “at risk” student types. Presenter will overview various screening tools and methods as well as follow up procedures.
Presenter will highlight holistic care, and grief for those exposed and affected by suicide within a school setting. Presenter will explain the roles of organizations in regards to postvention planning for those affected. The course will cover the need for suicide prevention in crisis planning to ensure that those affected are cared for, your organization’s communication must do’s and don’t do’s, and how to move forward after a suicide incident. Presenter will also make available a template for a comprehensive suicide prevention plan for any agencies wanting to incorporate one into their existing infrastructure.
Audience: Ideal for school and Higher Education administrators, staff, faculty, school resource officers, parents, community organizations, funeral home directors, recovery and support group leaders and members, and survivors of loss or attempts.
Bystander Intervention Training
Have you ever wished you could’ve done something differently in a situation AFTER it happened? Bystander Intervention addresses that very sense of regret and gives you options on how you can proactively make a difference in the world around you. This training addresses reasons those who witness incidents may think they are incapable of acting and offer ideas on how to address uncomfortable situations.
Bystander Intervention training will address reasons those who witness incidents may think they are incapable of acting and offer ideas on how to comfortably address uncomfortable situations. Intervention can be done in subtle ways from starting a conversation to distraction. Bystanders can address uncomfortable situations head on in safe manners thereby setting a standard that some behaviors aren’t tolerated.
Audience: Any
Trigger Warnings: May elicit strong emotions to those who have suffered victimization surrounding sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, bullying or suicide.
Resilient Youth: Empowering Youth with the Skills to Bounce Back
The presentation covers the importance of resilience and coping skills for youth. Presenter will cover the basics of resilience and coping skills. Beyond the standards, the presenter will demonstrate a few practical tools to enhance these skills. Presenter will allow the audience time to practice and work together so attendees are empowered to take their skills back to their students.
Audience: Any
Restrictions: Not recommended for anyone who has suffered a suicide loss within the past 6 months and is not in a healthy stage of their recovery process.
Trigger Warnings: May elicit strong emotions to those who have suffered a suicide loss, or made a previous attempt.
Participants will be highly engaged with dialogue and open Q&A. Presentation will be high quality graphics and video content. Practical application will be tips based around resilience and coping skills strategies.
Suicide Prevention: How Relationships Lift this Heavy Problem
This course is ideal for anyone wanting to safely address the daunting subject of suicide prevention. Presentation covers the broad subject of suicide prevention and communicating the gravity of this issue in a way that opens up healthy dialogue. Presenter will cover the standard areas of warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for those at risk of suicide. Beyond the standards, the presenter will highlight the history of suicide and the stigma, often found in Western Culture. The course will also engage the audience to better understand that depression and suicide, does in fact, start within the brain as a physical disease. Presenter will leave the audience with a resonating call to action so they are empowered to take suicide prevention back to their workplaces, homes, and communities.
Audience: Any
Recommended: Organizing group could provide an onsite counselor to address any individual who may have emotional or mental health issues. If a counselor cannot be provided, please let the presenter know no less than 6 weeks in advance of event date and one can be arranged.
Participants will gain a better understanding of safe-messaging regarding suicide.
Participants will gain a better understanding of how to reframe suicide prevention so as to build healthy dialogue and not create vicarious trauma.
Participants will be highly engaged with dialogue and open Q&A. Presentation will be high quality graphics and video content. Practical application will be an increase in understanding of suicide safe messaging and safety protocols for discussing this difficult content. Key takeaways will be to demystify the complexity of suicide so that any person can gain confidence in addressing it safely.
Putting YOU First: Resilient Self-Care for Real People
Self-care has become an overused and misguided phrase these days. Often associated with manicures, bubble baths and chocolates, the reality of self-care is far grittier than any glitz, glamour, and glossing over of real issues could ever proclaim to be.
This training will break down the hierarchy of self-care starting with how we talk to and treat ourselves. It will dive into the tricky arena of workplace culture and how to recognize a healthy or toxic work environment. It will also introduce the THRIVE method so participants can grow their resilience from beyond an only surviving mentality to a thriving mindset.
Participants will be able to build their own well being blueprints that can create dialogue or build deeper and healthier relationships.
Audience: Any
Digital Health Skills:
Technology taking over your life? Feeling overwhelmed by all the notifications and antisocial media? It’s not too late to join the more than 200 people in learning a few easy tips and strategies on how to take back your control and improve your Digital Health Skills. Life skills are the abilities and behaviors that help you deal effectively with the events and challenges of everyday life. They are the skills that allow you to handle everything from interactions with others to identifying and processing your emotions. Digital health refers to the use of information and communications technologies in medicine and other health professions to manage illnesses and health risks and to promote wellness.
Audience: Any
Compassionate Communication: Conversations to Show We Care:
The system of care can be confusing to navigate, especially if you have been affected recently by a life-altering event. How can professionals better understand the needs of the individuals and families they provide for? How can guardians and families communicate when life has left them speechless?
This session dives right into the heart of compassionate communication both for the helpers and for those who need help. Learn strategies for better supporting those touched by trauma and loss. How do guardians who have never raised a child know what to ask or where to go? What types of language can help most during difficulty? What is missing in your work that could better connect with those who feel alone in their struggle? How do we create safe spaces for others when they are at their most vulnerable?
Audience: Any
Suicide Prevention in the Day of Distancing:
How youth have been impacted and how we can help them adapt.
Suicide prevention and mental health are needed more now than ever, but how do we bridge the many alarming gaps that are left behind because of physical distancing?
This presentation will cover general information concerning suicide, substance use, and mental health as well as, provide strategies and techniques for addressing awareness and concerns that have arisen in the time of COVID-19.
Audience: Any
Seriously? Not Another Suicide Prevention Class
This class is great for beginning effective and engaging discussions around the topic of suicide! Although many are aware that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, few are educated around prevention of this problem. Part of that is due to the way many public health educators address speaking on this too often depressing issue. In “Not Another Suicide Prevention Class,” we will look at the history of suicide and why our society isn’t “doing” prevention differently. This course will use the concepts of Humor Therapy, Safe Storytelling, and suicide prevention practices to engage and equip the audience. This class will look at messaging, the importance of language and communication in effective learning and awareness efforts. The course will also dive into social media and how to use it as a tool to further awareness on both an individual and organizational level.
You’ll walk out of this class feeling refreshed, encouraged, and excited about suicide prevention. Proving it isn’t just another suicide prevention class.
Audience: Any
Susie’s Exclusive Training Programs Include
- The Art of Safe Storytelling Training 8 Hours Audience Type: Any
- Not Just Responding: Suicide Prevention Training 16 Hours Audience Type: First Responders Only
- Enforcing Our Lives: Suicide Prevention Training 16 Hours Audience Type: Law Enforcement Only
- Unpacking Stress and Trauma: Law Enforcement PTSD Course 8 Hours Audience Type: Law Enforcement and First Responders
- More than Minor Struggles Training 16 Hours Audience Type: Ages 15 – 19
- Train the Trainer Specialized Public Health Skills Training 40 Hours Audience Type: Any
- Coalition Building Training 4-8 hours Audience Type: Ideal for Coalition Members or New Nonprofit Groups
- Bystander Intervention 8 Hours Audience Type: Any Aged 13 and UP
- Competency through Crisis: Strategies for Cultivating Safer Schools 8 Hours Audience Type: Ideal for Educators, School Administrators, and School Resource Officers
Available Best Practice Training’s
- Talk Saves Lives (Best Practice) 1 Hour
- More than Sad (Best Practice) 1 Hour
Susie is a certified instructor in the following Evidenced-Based Practices:
safeTALK Training (Evidence Based Program created by LivingWorks – Canada) 4 Hours
safeTALK is a 4 hour introductory course on suicide prevention. It aims to address long standing myths by educating attendees on this community health issue. safeTALK also allows attendees to vocalize and learn the safest ways to discuss this problem with a person in crisis. It is a top-tier evidence based program created by LivingWorks.
safeTALK is an education based workshop that focuses on connecting any person in crisis to community resources. Please be advised that the content contained in this programming is sensitive and can trigger those who are currently suffering from mental health issues or suicidal ideation. This training is not intended for those who have recently lost a loved one to suicide.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST Evidence-Based Program created by LivingWorks- Canada) 2 Mandatory Days
Spot the signs that someone may be having thoughts of suicide.
- Have confidence not to miss, dismiss, or avoid these signs.
- Be ready, willing, and able to apply “Suicide First Aid.”
- Keep the person safe by creating a Safe Plan.
- Connect them to other resources.
Please be advised that the content contained in this programming is sensitive and can trigger those who are currently suffering from mental health issues or suicidal ideation.
The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a 2 (Mandatory) Consecutive Days suicide awareness and education training. This training is not intended for those who have recently lost a loved one to suicide.
Sources of Strength
(Evidence Based Program Created by Sources of Strength Youth Specific Upstream Prevention Program) 2 Days for implementation and then regular meetings must be facilitated for a yearlong program to be effective.
Crisis Intervention Training
(Memphis Model created by Memphis University) Crisis Intervention Training is built on community partnerships employing a community policing model. The Crisis Intervention Team is an elite, skilled group of officers who act as primary responders to behavioral health crisis calls.
Six Program Benefits Reported by NAMI Ohio:
- Fewer injuries to police officers
- Reduction in arrest rates and use of force incidents
- Fewer repeat commitments to inpatient care
- Reduction in patient violence
- Less officer time involved per call
- Reduction in jail days for offenders with mental illness
Download the .pdf of Susie’s Training’s
Contact us today to get the conversation started !