Send us a text

We are each irreplaceable.

Join us for the third episode in our four-part series for suicide prevention awareness month, for a conversation with Dr. Liz Clark, Director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office. We discuss the topic of suicide prevention from an ecosystem perspective.

Dr. Clark discusses the essential role of belongingness and connectedness, especially in our post-pandemic hybrid work environment, the severe health consequences of social isolation, and the importance of human connection. We also tackle the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, advocating for direct communication and empathy. We explore a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention, emphasizing the importance of national policies, effective crisis response systems, and community-based support programs. 

Resources

• Call or text 988, a 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress.
• FindSupport.gov

Dr. Liz Clark serves as the Director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. She is responsible for policy, oversight, and advocacy of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) suicide prevention programs, which include non-clinical suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts including policy, program development and evaluation, data surveillance, research, and outreach and engagement in support of more than 2M service members and over 2.5M military family members worldwide.

Prior to her current assignment, Dr. Clark was the Deputy Director of DSPO. Dr. Clark also previously served as the Deputy Executive Director for the PREVENTS Task Force, and charged with developing the first federally coordinated national public health strategy and roadmap to address Veteran suicide. From 2015 to 2020, Dr. Clark served as the Director and Assistant Director of the DSPO Policy and Plans Directorate. Dr. Clark brings an array of suicide prevention experience to the Department through her previous work as a volunteer hotline crisis worker answering the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as established and co-led a suicide bereavement support group in the Washington Metropolitan area.

Dr. Clark served as an Army Officer for over nine years in the Ordnance Corps and Adjutant General Corps and had a variety of assignments at the installation level, Army Staff, and National Guard Bureau.

Go to https://betterhelp.com/resilience or click Notes on Resilience during sign up for 10% off your first month of therapy with my sponsor BetterHelp.

Support the show

Producer / Editor: Neel Panji

Invite Manya to inspire and empower your teams + position your organization as a forward-thinking leader in fostering resilience and trauma sensitivity.

#trauma #resilience #MentalHealth #leadership #survivor