Aug 28, 2018
This week’s show is all about saving
lives! Dr.
Greg Hudnall is with us and shared some incredible insights
in how we, as parents, can help our kids, our kids friends, and
community members to keep hope alive and prevent suicides.
Dr. Hudnall is a
former high school principal, student service director and
associate superintendent with the Provo City School District. He
has been involved with suicide prevention for the past twenty years
and has personally been involved with over forty-five suicides as a
first responder or consultant
is considered one of Utah’s leading experts in
community and school-based suicide prevention, intervention and
postvention.
Listen in to hear the specific, and easy things you can do to begin making a difference today for those you love. Also, you can hear our thoughts on traveling with kids, including a story of Beth’s daughter having her face caressed by many members of a tour group….every girls dream. Aaaaaand...find out what Dr. Hudnalls 5 year old screamed for all to hear as he carried him out of church one day. This is a must listen!
Suicide is a heavy topic, one often avoided. Unfortunately, the lack of knowing exactly how to prevent suicides led the Provo City Utah School District to average one to two suicides per year during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Dr. Hudnall began his journey toward suicide prevention in that district as a principal. Provo was not unique in its high suicide rates. Students across the nation were struggling with this devastating problem...many still are.
Through a collaboration effort with many different experts, Dr. Hudnall created the Hope4Utah Foundation and Hope Squads in over 300 schools in Utah and several states nationwide. According to the Hope4Utah website, a Hope Squad is defined as “... the eyes and ears of your school. They are comprised of students who are trained to watch for at-risk students–provide friendship, identify warning signs, and seek help from adults. HOPE4UTAH works with school advisors to train students who have been identified by their classmates as trustworthy peers to serve as HOPE Squad members. Through evidence-based training modules, HOPE Squad members are empowered to seek help and save a life.” The decrease in teen suicides across Utah has been dramatic since in implementation of Hope Squads.
Suicide prevention is a community issue. No one person can solve the problem. Students, teachers, principals, and therapists all have a significant role to play. They cannot be alone in this endeavor. Parents are an integral part of this equation. Dr. Hudnall recently released a book called “Hope Squad: The Successful Suicide Prevention Program For Youth.” This book outlines what specific things parents, educators, and community members can do to immediately begin helping to prevent suicides. Below are some of the topics (called LIFE SAVERS) we discussed in this episode that are found within the book.
The following protective factors are personal characteristics that are critical to helping your child, and those characteristics that also help children build resiliency.