In the event you are now or have been in the past been suicidal,please don't hurt yourself
or attempt to kill yourself or others. It is also important to understand that suicidal ideas are merely symptoms like
a fever is to an infection.
There are underlying reasons for these symtoms and they can be succesfully treated much
like antibiotics for infections. There are some specialized counseling and psychotherapies that research has shown can reduce
the symptoms of depression and suicide.
I will endeavor to listen and attempt to understand your special situation
and thereafter based upon my extensive experience over the course of time, I will either recomend a placement with one
of our licenced mental health professionals for counseling and/or psychotherapy or make an appropriate referal outside of
our organization.
Many of you with depression and other related symptoms have been discouraged because you have attempted
counseling, psychotherapy and medications in the past without significant success.
I am aware of these and many other problems that exist in receiving and benefiting
from mental health services and suicide prevention hotlines.
In the interim, you may be interested to learn more about our plans to expand our outreach
for suicide prevention. I have identified a vital flaw in the delivery of counseling services for severely depressed and/or
suicidal persons that I would like to share with you.
In general, the first responders to a suicide crisis situation are typically suicide hotlines.
Those crisis hotlines are staffed by generally very well meaning individuals who volunteer their time to counsel those
suicidal patients in crisis.
However, as volunteers they generally do not possess either a degree in psychology
nor are they licensed to practice counseling and psychotherapy. This is a serious problem because these patients are
generally severely depressed and suicidal or may be at high risk for suicide intent. These patients require professional responders
because they are severely mentally disturbed or have clinically acute symptoms that may represent a significant risk factor
to life and limb for themselves and at times for others.
On the other hand, our organization is committed to building an infrastructure
of professional and licenced responders to suicide emergencies.
In the past, as founder and chairman of Humanistic Mental Health Foundation, I had many other
professional and financial resources available including a grants and benefits program to supplement income and related expenditures
in facilitating intensive treatment in hospital settings.
Today I am attemping reconstruct and improve upon those
programs, so as to enable many others who simply cannot afford to pay for professional services or proper medications in a
crisis.
This is the one of the reasons why I am reaching out to others who have been blessed with
abundance or simply want to support those life saving causes.
We all have the tendency for self distructive behaviors
in one form or other and struggle for survival and prosperity. In the abundance of our own strenths, we can and should help
others along the way...
You may contact me by whatever manner you are comfortable to share your thoughts,
ideas, lend time,resources or otherwise make a contribution to the prevention of suicide.
I hope that you will CARE TO SHARE sm because SUICIDE IS PREVENTABLE
sm.
Best Wishes,
Stephen
Simon,
Director/Founder
