Schedule

 

Friday, September 14^th

3:30 – 7:00 PM
Registration
Beckham Hall 

4:00 – 4:30 PM
Opening Remarks
Memorial Chapel
Leslie Shasha ’82, PhD
Child psychotherapy and couples therapy specialist with nearly two decades of clinical experience; active member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Jed Foundation.

4:30 – 5:30 PM
Keynote Address
Memorial Chapel
Eric Marcus, author of Why Suicide?
Resilience in the Aftermath of a Suicide
Eric Marcus, suicide loss survivor and author, will lead an interactive discussion with audience members about the many faces of resilience with the goal of answering three key questions: What is resilience? What does it look like? And how can we enlist our own resilience to overcome traumatic loss and transform it into something positive?

5:30 – 6:00 PM
Reception/Cocktails
Zelnick Pavilion

6:00 - 7:15 PM
Dinner
Beckham Hall
Welcoming Remarks: Joyce Jacobsen, Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs

7:30 – 8:45 PM
Screening of Here One Day
Beckham Hall
Director/producer Kathy Leichter presents her visually arresting, emotionally candid, award-winning film about her mother’s mental illness, her relationships with her family, and the ripple effects of her suicide on those she loved.

8:45 – 9:15 PM  
Q&A with Kathy Leichter, filmmaker
Beckham Hall

Saturday, September 15^th

8:00 – 9:00 AM                      
Registration and Breakfast 
Beckham Hall

9:00 – 9:15 AM                      
Welcome
Daniel Family Commons
Michael S. Roth '78, President

9:15 – 10:15 AM                    
Telling Our Stories
Daniel Family Commons
Karl Scheibe – principal speaker

10:15 – 11:15 AM                  
Storytelling and Transformation through Documentary Film 
Daniel Family Commons
Kathy Leichter – principal speaker
Carla Fine and Eric Marcus – discussants

11:15 – 12:00 PM                  
No Time to Say Goodbye: Survival and Resilience After the Suicide of a Loved One 
Daniel Family Commons
Carla Fine is the author of No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One and Touched by Suicide: Hope and Healing After Loss. She lectures extensively to suicide survivors' groups and professional organizations throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and India.
Carla Fine – principal speaker
Kathy Leichter – discussant

12:00 – 1:00 PM                    
Lunch 
Beckham Hall

1:00 – 1:45 PM                      
Suicide Risk in the U.S.: Who's Most Vulnerable, and Why?                                                     
Daniel Family Commons
Ann Haas is a sociologist and a major contributor to current research and theory on suicide. Much of her research has focused upon suicide risk and prevention in at-risk populations, including sexual and gender minorities, veterans, youth, and college students.
Ann Haas – principal speaker
Eric Marcus – discussant

1:45 – 3:15 PM                       
What Do We Know? Current Research and Directions for the Future 
Daniel Family Commons
Alexis May – panelist: From Ideation to Action: Understanding the Progression from Suicidal Thoughts to Behaviors
Alexander Millner – panelist: Describing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Using New and Old Technologies 
Melinda Moore – panelist: Post-traumatic Growth and the Suicide Bereaved 
Jill Morawski – chair

3:15 – 3:30 PM                      
Afternoon Break 
Daniel Family Commons

3:30 – 4:30 PM                      
Suicide Awareness and Prevention at Wesleyan
Daniel Family Commons
Jennifer D’Andrea – panelist, Counseling and Psychological Services
Lisa Miceli – panelist, Counseling and Psychological Services
Rabbi David Leipziger Teva – panelist, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life
Tracy Mehr-Muska – panelist, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life
Matthew Kurtz, chair

4:30 – 5:00 PM                      
Summation Session and Farewell 
Daniel Family Commons
All invited guest speakers