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Light After Loss, Stark County Ohio.

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Located at:

The Hope & Healing Center

3751 Burrshire Dr. NW

Canton, Ohio  44709

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(330) 846-3630

2022 PostVention Convention

Creating a community of support for suicide survivors in Stark County

Registration deadline!
In-person Monday, August 1st | Virtual Friday, August 5th
Register Now
Friday, August 12th, 2022 9:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M.

Light After Loss 2022 Postvention Convention

Kent State University Stark Conference Center

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We are excited to provide this all-day (9 am to 5 pm) conference to mental health clinicians in Stark County (and beyond) to enhance their clinical skills and capacity for providing outstanding care to survivors of suicide loss. Suicide loss survivors are a unique population with special characteristics and needs that gray the lines between trauma and grief.

Attendees will learn from experts leading the call to understand and improve how we navigate the intersection of mental health care, traumatic loss, and support services. This includes feature presentations from Dr. Julie Cerel (University of Kentucky), Dr. Jason McGlothlin (Kent State University) and Tony Coder (Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and Chairperson of the American Association of Suicidology).  Breakout sessions will focus on clinical interventions when working with suicide loss survivors, spirituality after suicide loss, supervision, and steps that Ohio is taking to address postvention after suicide losses in communities.

All licensed mental health clinicians and graduate students are welcomed and encouraged to attend. The Postvention Convention will be offered in a live hybrid format. Those attending in-person will have a networking lunch and resource fair to attend.

Register Now

The Postvention Convention will have 5 CE hours for Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists.Light After Loss is an approved CE provider with the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board of Ohio.All attendees will be provided with a detailed attendance certificate which will include the titles of attended sessions and a total number of hours of clinical education attended.These certificates may be used for other licenses CE’s based on their governing board’s process for post-program approval.

*Paying for your CE’s is also your registration payment for the conference unless you would like to donate more towards our cause!

Register Now

This mental health symposium was made possible with grant funding Light After Loss received from Ohio Mental Health & Addiction Services. In 2021 OhioMHAS was looking to fund Veteran Support Services in the state during the pandemic through a COVID-Mental Health Block Grant. Light After Loss was honored to be one of only eight agencies selected from across the entire state of Ohio. The First Annual Postvention Convention has come to fruition due to this initiative, and will be open to all mental health clinicians, care providers, and interested community members throughout Ohio both virtually and in person. The training and knowledge provided aims to grow the skills and capacity of attendees to better meet the nuanced needs of survivors of suicide loss.

Governor Mike DeWine’s press conference to discussing programs that support the mental health of Ohio’s veterans and military community.

Map of Kent State University at Stark Conference Center
Map of the Conference Center
Register Now

Attendees will be able to join the Postvention Convention virtually over Zoom. We are asking all virtual attendees to install and test Zoom prior to the day of the event. More details will be sent via email to registered attendees.

Register Now

A donation in the amount of your choice is asked for in lieu of a registration fee.

* Ohio counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists requesting CE’s will pay $50 and are not expected to provide an additional donation for registration

Contact Emily “Em” Ribnik, Light After Loss Training, CE & Certification Coordinator and Postvention Advisory Board Member at Training@lightafterlossstark.org or 330-990-6963

Light After Loss' Postvention Convention

2022 Agenda

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Sign-in and Payment

Registration is $50 for Ohio counselors, social workers, & marriage and family therapists requesting CE’s are not expected to provide an additional donation for registration
A donation in the amount of your choice is asked for in lieu of a registration fee.
Click here to learn about the work you’re supporting when donating to Light After Loss
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM

Welcome Address

“Generational Suicide”
Shannon Ortiz, LPCC-S, CEO and Founder of Light After Loss
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Morning Keynote

“Impact of Suicide on Families, Communities, and Workplaces”
Dr. Julie Cerel, Ph.D., University of Kentucky
Dr. Julie Cerel will describe how suicide bereavement affects those left behind, and outlines findings  from research looking at how many people know someone who has died by suicide and how it affects  their live. She will examine different groups of people who are deferentially impacted by suicide and  ways postvention can help.
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM

Morning Break

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM

Breakout Session #1

Ibrahim Akmese, LPC, Ohio University Counseling and Psychological Services
This presentation aims to provide risk and protective factors for suicide-loss survivors. Those factors include demographics, loss-related, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors. Additionally, the presentation focuses on increasing the knowledge of professionals regarding the contemporary grief models such as two-track, dual-process, and meaning-making models in clinical work with suicide-loss survivors. By attending this presentation, mental health professionals will increase their understanding of the role of closeness, social support, attachment, self-disclosure, suicide stigma, religious/spiritual identity in the grief process, and its effects on individuals who experienced suicide loss. Clinicians also will learn how individuals' social identity shifts after the significant loss due to suicide. Finally, clinicians will learn how to apply the information gathered from the clients to help them process their emotions and grow after their loss by making meaning of the loss.

Denise Meine-Graham, CT, Ohio Suicide Prevention Fondation
L.O.S.S. Teams are peer-based supports for others in the immediate aftermath of a suicide. This presentation will describe the components and logistics of a L.O.S.S. Team, including how team members are trained. Additionally, attendees will learn about how on-scene L.O.S.S. Team outreach is conducted, including how they are contacted to respond. Examples of how L.O.S.S. Teams positively partner and collaborate with licensed mental health professionals will also be reviewed.

Kailey Bradley, LPCC-S, Refuge Counseling, LLC
Spirituality is a complex dimension of human experience. Spirituality is impacted when loss or crisis occurs. Suicide loss is a profound crisis that impacts spiritual functioning (Wolfelt, 2006). However, spirituality is not often viewed as a domain impacted by suicide loss. This training seeks to provide participants with various definitions of spirituality. Additionally, professionals attending will discuss and become acquainted with how spirituality may be impacted by suicide loss. Lastly, participants will be given various interventions they could use with suicide survivors that incorporate elements of ritual and spirituality.
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM

Lunch and Resource Fair

 Available only for in person attendees
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM

Afternoon Plenary

“L.O.S.S. Teams and the Postvention Plan for Ohio”
Tony Coder, Executive Director of Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and Chairperson of the American Association of Suicidology
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM

Midday Break

 
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Breakout Session #2

Denise Meine-Graham, CT, Ohio Suicide Prevention Fondation
The focus of this presentation will include information about postvention including statistics around those impacted by suicide. Common reactions to a suicide death will be shared, including from a personal perspective to aid professionals as they journey with their clients who are grieving a suicide loss. The concept of 'There's no "closure" or "fixing" this, there is integration' will be discussed. Also, how mental health professionals have been - or may be in the future - impacted by a clients suicide and how mental health professionals can engage in self-care and seek support.

Nhat Nguyen, LPCC, University of Cincinnati
Erica Ogletree, LPCC-S, TREEmendous Care LLC Therapeutic Services and University of Cincinnati
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (2015) estimated that every year there are 5.3 million Americans are suicide loss survivors, 40-50% population has lifetime exposure to suicide, and each suicide death impacts 135 people - including mental health workers. Meyers (2015) found that 23-25% of Counselors had lost clients to suicide, 1/5 are counselors in training. However, the majority of existing training and literature only focus on suicide assessment and interventions but pay far less attention to postvention, especially how to support clinicians after a loss of their client due to suicide. This presentation aims to open a discussion of challenges of mental health workers as suicide loss survivors, as well as provide resources and recommendations for individual professionals and organizations. Multicultural aspects and supervision implications are also discussed.

Maureen Pollard, Registered Social Worker (Ontario)
During this experiential workshop, participants will learn theory and research that supports using therapeutic writing for healing grief and trauma. The benefits and risks of writing about painful experiences will be explored, as well as strategies to mitigate the risks. Participants will be invited to engage in a series of short writing exercises to demonstrate how they might implement these tools in their practice as well as to develop a sense of how the process can feel for participants.
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM

Afternoon Break

 
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Afternoon Keynote

“Reflections of Hope After 25+ Years of Working with Suicidality”
Dr. Jason McGlothlin, Kent State University

4:15 PM – 4:30 PM

Closing Remarks

Shannon Ortiz, LPCC-S, CEO and Founder of Light After Loss
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Attendee Networking

 
About

We are excited to provide this all-day (9 am to 5 pm) conference to mental health clinicians in Stark County (and beyond) to enhance their clinical skills and capacity for providing outstanding care to survivors of suicide loss. Suicide loss survivors are a unique population with special characteristics and needs that gray the lines between trauma and grief.

Attendees will learn from experts leading the call to understand and improve how we navigate the intersection of mental health care, traumatic loss, and support services. This includes feature presentations from Dr. Julie Cerel (University of Kentucky), Dr. Jason McGlothlin (Kent State University) and Tony Coder (Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and Chairperson of the American Association of Suicidology).  Breakout sessions will focus on clinical interventions when working with suicide loss survivors, spirituality after suicide loss, supervision, and steps that Ohio is taking to address postvention after suicide losses in communities.

All licensed mental health clinicians and graduate students are welcomed and encouraged to attend. The Postvention Convention will be offered in a live hybrid format. Those attending in-person will have a networking lunch and resource fair to attend.

Register Now
CE Hours

The Postvention Convention will have 5 CE hours for Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists.Light After Loss is an approved CE provider with the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board of Ohio.All attendees will be provided with a detailed attendance certificate which will include the titles of attended sessions and a total number of hours of clinical education attended.These certificates may be used for other licenses CE’s based on their governing board’s process for post-program approval.

*Paying for your CE’s is also your registration payment for the conference unless you would like to donate more towards our cause!

Register Now
Grant

This mental health symposium was made possible with grant funding Light After Loss received from Ohio Mental Health & Addiction Services. In 2021 OhioMHAS was looking to fund Veteran Support Services in the state during the pandemic through a COVID-Mental Health Block Grant. Light After Loss was honored to be one of only eight agencies selected from across the entire state of Ohio. The First Annual Postvention Convention has come to fruition due to this initiative, and will be open to all mental health clinicians, care providers, and interested community members throughout Ohio both virtually and in person. The training and knowledge provided aims to grow the skills and capacity of attendees to better meet the nuanced needs of survivors of suicide loss.

Governor Mike DeWine’s press conference to discussing programs that support the mental health of Ohio’s veterans and military community.

Attending in Person
Map of Kent State University at Stark Conference Center
Map of the Conference Center
Register Now
Attending Virtually

Attendees will be able to join the Postvention Convention virtually over Zoom. We are asking all virtual attendees to install and test Zoom prior to the day of the event. More details will be sent via email to registered attendees.

Register Now
Cost

A donation in the amount of your choice is asked for in lieu of a registration fee.

* Ohio counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists requesting CE’s will pay $50 and are not expected to provide an additional donation for registration

Contact Us

Contact Emily “Em” Ribnik, Light After Loss Training, CE & Certification Coordinator and Postvention Advisory Board Member at Training@lightafterlossstark.org or 330-990-6963

Agenda & Session Details

Light After Loss' Postvention Convention

2022 Agenda

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Sign-in and Payment

Registration is $50 for Ohio counselors, social workers, & marriage and family therapists requesting CE’s are not expected to provide an additional donation for registration
A donation in the amount of your choice is asked for in lieu of a registration fee.
Click here to learn about the work you’re supporting when donating to Light After Loss
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM

Welcome Address

“Generational Suicide”
Shannon Ortiz, LPCC-S, CEO and Founder of Light After Loss
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Morning Keynote

“Impact of Suicide on Families, Communities, and Workplaces”
Dr. Julie Cerel, Ph.D., University of Kentucky
Dr. Julie Cerel will describe how suicide bereavement affects those left behind, and outlines findings  from research looking at how many people know someone who has died by suicide and how it affects  their live. She will examine different groups of people who are deferentially impacted by suicide and  ways postvention can help.
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM

Morning Break

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM

Breakout Session #1

Ibrahim Akmese, LPC, Ohio University Counseling and Psychological Services
This presentation aims to provide risk and protective factors for suicide-loss survivors. Those factors include demographics, loss-related, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors. Additionally, the presentation focuses on increasing the knowledge of professionals regarding the contemporary grief models such as two-track, dual-process, and meaning-making models in clinical work with suicide-loss survivors. By attending this presentation, mental health professionals will increase their understanding of the role of closeness, social support, attachment, self-disclosure, suicide stigma, religious/spiritual identity in the grief process, and its effects on individuals who experienced suicide loss. Clinicians also will learn how individuals' social identity shifts after the significant loss due to suicide. Finally, clinicians will learn how to apply the information gathered from the clients to help them process their emotions and grow after their loss by making meaning of the loss.

Denise Meine-Graham, CT, Ohio Suicide Prevention Fondation
L.O.S.S. Teams are peer-based supports for others in the immediate aftermath of a suicide. This presentation will describe the components and logistics of a L.O.S.S. Team, including how team members are trained. Additionally, attendees will learn about how on-scene L.O.S.S. Team outreach is conducted, including how they are contacted to respond. Examples of how L.O.S.S. Teams positively partner and collaborate with licensed mental health professionals will also be reviewed.

Kailey Bradley, LPCC-S, Refuge Counseling, LLC
Spirituality is a complex dimension of human experience. Spirituality is impacted when loss or crisis occurs. Suicide loss is a profound crisis that impacts spiritual functioning (Wolfelt, 2006). However, spirituality is not often viewed as a domain impacted by suicide loss. This training seeks to provide participants with various definitions of spirituality. Additionally, professionals attending will discuss and become acquainted with how spirituality may be impacted by suicide loss. Lastly, participants will be given various interventions they could use with suicide survivors that incorporate elements of ritual and spirituality.
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM

Lunch and Resource Fair

 Available only for in person attendees
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM

Afternoon Plenary

“L.O.S.S. Teams and the Postvention Plan for Ohio”
Tony Coder, Executive Director of Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and Chairperson of the American Association of Suicidology
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM

Midday Break

 
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Breakout Session #2

Denise Meine-Graham, CT, Ohio Suicide Prevention Fondation
The focus of this presentation will include information about postvention including statistics around those impacted by suicide. Common reactions to a suicide death will be shared, including from a personal perspective to aid professionals as they journey with their clients who are grieving a suicide loss. The concept of 'There's no "closure" or "fixing" this, there is integration' will be discussed. Also, how mental health professionals have been - or may be in the future - impacted by a clients suicide and how mental health professionals can engage in self-care and seek support.

Nhat Nguyen, LPCC, University of Cincinnati
Erica Ogletree, LPCC-S, TREEmendous Care LLC Therapeutic Services and University of Cincinnati
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (2015) estimated that every year there are 5.3 million Americans are suicide loss survivors, 40-50% population has lifetime exposure to suicide, and each suicide death impacts 135 people - including mental health workers. Meyers (2015) found that 23-25% of Counselors had lost clients to suicide, 1/5 are counselors in training. However, the majority of existing training and literature only focus on suicide assessment and interventions but pay far less attention to postvention, especially how to support clinicians after a loss of their client due to suicide. This presentation aims to open a discussion of challenges of mental health workers as suicide loss survivors, as well as provide resources and recommendations for individual professionals and organizations. Multicultural aspects and supervision implications are also discussed.

Maureen Pollard, Registered Social Worker (Ontario)
During this experiential workshop, participants will learn theory and research that supports using therapeutic writing for healing grief and trauma. The benefits and risks of writing about painful experiences will be explored, as well as strategies to mitigate the risks. Participants will be invited to engage in a series of short writing exercises to demonstrate how they might implement these tools in their practice as well as to develop a sense of how the process can feel for participants.
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM

Afternoon Break

 
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Afternoon Keynote

“Reflections of Hope After 25+ Years of Working with Suicidality”
Dr. Jason McGlothlin, Kent State University

4:15 PM – 4:30 PM

Closing Remarks

Shannon Ortiz, LPCC-S, CEO and Founder of Light After Loss
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Attendee Networking