A Closer Look at Suicide Prevention

Most individuals may not realize the extensiveness of the effects of suicide. It is a difficult subject to discuss. What we would discover though, if we open up and talk about our grief and experiences, we would find that we are not alone in the wake of suicide.  

The Center of Disease Control (CDC) reports that over 48,000 people died by suicide in 2021. This calculates to “1 death every 11 minutes” of the day. This number is astonishing. In 2021, suicide was the second leading cause of death for individuals ages 10-14 and 20-34.  

There are so many stories of survivors who share they had no idea that their family member, friend, co-worker, peer, etc..., was experiencing any mental health crises. It often seems sudden or unexpected. The good news is that suicide can be prevented. 

Research shows that when communities identify and support people at risk of suicide, build strong economic supports, promote healthy connections with others, create protective environments by developing healthy organizational policies and culture, as well as improving the provision of quality suicide care and postvention (intervention following a completed suicide and educating others on suicide prevention), probability of suicide lessens. 

Samantha Brawley is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She attended Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Kansas City, Missouri) where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies in 2014 and a Master of Arts in Counseling in 2018. She then moved to Southeast Texas with her husband and three children, where she began her state internship for counseling at Family Services of Southeast Texas serving victims of domestic violence. In 2021, Samantha sought to gain experience in a different approach for counseling and began working as a Special Education Counselor for Silsbee ISD. Here, she enriched her abilities to work with students who struggle with managing their behavior due to ADHD, ODD, depression, trauma, anxiety, and developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Samantha valued this experience as she too has two children with Autism and ADHD. She is excited to return to private practice and work with individuals of all ages. She believes everyone deserves support as they walk through challenges in their daily life. Samantha loves life, laughter, and her faith. She seeks to help others identify and pursue the best version of themselves. Her favorite quote is by Walt Disney: "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."