Join SRQ Strong for a conversation aimed to shine a light on the topic of suicide and the healing that comes after sharing people’s own experiences. Hear from two survivors and multiple specialists on prevention, risk factors, how to respond, and ways to help to break the stigma of talking about suicide and mental health.
This event will be held over Zoom and streamed on Facebook LIVE. Please register on Eventbrite, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/166805911973.
Featured Speakers:
Breanna Knuth is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 15 years of experience working in the mental health field. Breanna graduated with her Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University in 2012. Breanna has grown her career serving the community in different capacities, including case management, individual/family therapy, project development, training, and clinical supervision. Breanna has a genuine passion for helping others achieve their goals and recognize their value. Breanna worked at Centerstone for a total of 14 years and will soon be transitioning to a new role, the Director of Client Success at Family Resources in Manatee County. Suicide prevention is near and dear to Breanna’s heart — suicide and suicide attempts have had close, personal impacts in her life and on the lives of those around her. These personal experiences combined with working in the mental health field have resulted in feeling both a personal and professional responsibility to spread the message that there IS help and there IS hope.
Lt. Charles Kenniff (retired) is a 37-year law enforcement veteran. A graduate of the New York City Police Academy, he worked for NYPD before relocating to Florida and joining the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Charlie has received numerous citations and awards and is a state recognized expert on special populations and the Baker Act. Charlie has been involved with Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, specifically the “Memphis Model”, and is a Master CIT instructor as designated by the University of South Florida and the Florida CIT Coalition. Lt. Kenniff was one of the first to complete CIT International’s Certified Coordinator course and he continues to teach civilians and law enforcement about the safe and proper response to persons in crisis due to mental/emotional illness, addictions, and organic brain diseases. Charlie just stepped down from a board of director’s position with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Sarasota and Manatee Counties affiliate having “termed-out” after 8 years. In 2020 he was honored to receive NAMI Florida’s 2020 CIT Officer of the Year award. Charlie retired in March 2021 and is now running his training and consulting company providing de-escalation strategies for law enforcement and other first-responder agencies, and corporations nationwide.
Annelise Adams works as an Administrative Director for the Center for Religious Tolerance and SRQ Strong. She is an avid gardener, photographer, and artist who enjoys creating in a variety of mediums. She earned her BA in Professional and Technical Communication from the University of South Florida in Sarasota/Manatee. Over the past few years, she has focused her skills towards joining grassroots efforts and non-profits to address social issues within our community and has become an advocate for mental health. Annelise aspires to continue creating to inspire people in the same way she takes in the world around her.
Beth Walters currently works at Centerstone as a Suicide Prevention Specialist in the role of peer support. Although college provided an abundance of knowledge & experiences, the most meaningful knowledge Beth obtained was through reflecting on her own life experiences, pursuing her dream, and finding recovery from mental health struggles. In 2019 Beth self-published Morning Coffee Reflections: Daily Self-Reflections to Start Your Day & created social media pages where she currently shares daily reflections. She now uses her own lived experiences to motivate, inspire, and connect with others to help them see how reflection can lead to a better life.
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