About this talk
Today, teen suicide is an overwhelming problem in the US, with rates continuing to climb each year. Yet, Youth Suicide Interventionist Cheryl King shares that there’s hope – we can solve this problem. Alongside existing medications and psychotherapies used to treat depression, Cheryl has built a community-based intervention called “Youth-Nominated Support Team” or “YST”. Using a model of community support, she helps youth with an acute suicide risk create a network of trusted adults who they can turn to for support through their mental health journey. The program additionally supports these adults to become active and informed support systems for affected youth and teens. With a community based approach, in partnership with medication and psychotherapy, Cheryl and her team has seen a dramatic and lasting reduction in teen suicidality.
Teen suicide is a heart-breaking issue that challenges our world daily, but we must not give up hope. Watch Cheryl King’s TEDMED 2020 Talk “A simple, powerful way to help prevent teen suicide” to learn how community based interventions can change the future of teen suicide.
About Cheryl King
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About Cheryl
Dr. Cheryl King is a distinguished clinical psychologist and a leading expert in the field of adolescent suicide prevention. She is a professor and educator at the University of Michigan, where her research focuses on developing and testing new ways to identify and help young people at risk for suicide. Cheryl is the Principal Investigator on several major projects funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH). These projects include creating an adaptive suicide risk screen for use in hospital emergency rooms and an electronic program to connect college students with mental health services. Her research also examines the short-term risk for suicide attempts among teenagers. As a respected research mentor and educator, Cheryl has also acted as former Director of Psychology Training and Chief Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. She has twice been honored with the Teacher of the Year Award in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is also the lead author of Teen Suicide Risk: A Practitioner Guide to Screening, Assessment, and Management, a widely used resource for mental health professionals. Cheryl’s influence extends to a national level. She has provided testimony to the U.S. Senate on youth suicide prevention and has served as a past president of several key organizations, including the American Association of Suicidology. She is also a member of the National Advisory Mental Health Council, where she helps to guide national policy on mental health research.
