Silence is deadly: how to talk about suicide

Hello and Welcome to This Little Light Of Mine, my name is James Powell and I'm really glad that you are able to join me for today's interview episode.

Today I'm joined with David Laskovski who is joining our conversation on mental health and will be helping us delve a little deeper into the topic of suicide. David developed the HELP model, that provides new tools and resources to professionals in Toronto's Emergency Medical Services to intervene and help those who may be suicidal.

Before we jump into today's episode I want to provide two important caveats. The first is a trigger warning. Suicide is an important and uncomfortable topic that touches many of our lives (even if we may not be aware that it does). While this conversation may be uncomfortable I know that it is a conversation that we need to get more comfortable with. That being said, the timing of this conversation may not be for everyone, right now. Please proceed with caution and listen to your body on what you need to be safe in this moment.

The second caveat that I want to share is that David is my boyfriend. David has helped me grow in a number of ways over the past couple of years and I wanted to invite him on to share some of his kindness, wisdom, and love so that it might help others too.

With David's expertise my hope and intention behind this episode is that we can all get a little more comfortable talking about this uncomfortable topic.

James

Episode links:

Kevin Hines - Golden Gate Bridge

Guide: How to talk about suicide