EDC’s Zero Suicide Institute and the non-profit organization Parents to Parents have collaborated on a new resource for parents who have a child that has survived a suicide attempt.
The video project, titled Parents to Parents: After your child’s suicide attempt, was created to offer both practical guidance and hope for parents. LivingWorks’ Executive Vice President of Innovation, Dr. Pete Gutierrez, was featured in the film – providing guidance and wisdom as both a subject matter expert and a parent.
“This was the first time I have been involved with a project that was targeting this particular audience – one that I can directly relate to personally as well as professionally,” says Gutierrez. “I felt like I could speak with more authority regarding what parents need from medical providers because I was thinking about my own experience and everything I know as a clinical psychologist.”
The filmmakers included the voices of suicidology experts, medical professionals and parents with lived experience.
“You see the perspective of parents and hear the emotion in their voices and what they went through with their kids. That makes it real,” says Gutierrez. “By having the parental and professional perspectives in the film, I think it makes the potential impact even greater.”
On top of being a vital resource for parents, Gutierrez believes this film could be a stimulus for professional discussion.
“Deciding to watch the movie in a staff meeting or requiring staff to view this film could help organizations move along their journey and move them into the stage of understanding what families experience and what they need,” says Gutierrez.
Accompanying the film is an online webpage with information about the video and other resources relating to suicide prevention. Gutierrez believes if the film gets you thinking that you don’t know enough about suicide to help if the opportunity arose, you should consider learning more.
“None of us know who in our lives may be experiencing thoughts of suicide and it’s much better to have the knowledge and skills than it is to find yourself having a conversation with someone and not knowing what to do.”
To learn more about LivingWorks suicide prevention skills training programs for you or your organization, head to our program webpage.
