Addressing Youth Suicide
The School Suicide Prevention and Wellness (SSPW) Program serves as a supporting partner to your local school community, where we ultimately want to harness connection and commitment and bring together suicide prevention champions and community.
In order to help you achieve your suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention goals in your K-12 schools, we want to complement existing community resources with outside support to make your plans the most impactful and sustainable.
In addition to resources like the
Suicide Prevention, Intervention, Postvention: Step By Step Guide and Mini Grants, we offer technical assistance is these ways:
- Provide decision-making support and orientation for Big River Programs and other leading programs in suicide prevention, intervention, postvention
- Help determine subsequent action steps and set the appropriate pace for implementation
- Closely review your district’s policy, providing feedback on what is essential, best practice, and fitting to your school’s culture and structure
- Share model policies and tools to utilize
- Address your school community’s diverse populations, and advise on how your suicide prevention plan can be inclusive and responsive to all youth
- Help discover local partnership options through discussing community resources
- Share ideas to integrate youth engagement and voice into your school community
- Offer methods to address communication between ESD, districts, schools (private and public), and families
Once your district Adi’s Act plan is created, we want to help you implement it at the school building level and work alongside you to breathe life into this important document!
The SSPW Program is a 5 member crew, with 4 regional coordinators and 1 program manager, who all live and work in their local communities.
Isabella Acevedo Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Email: Isabellaa@linesforlife.org Isabella’s Counties include: Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Benton, Polk, Columbia, Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln I am a transplant from Los Angeles, with ten years living in the Portland metro area. I currently reside in Vancouver, WA, with the accessibility to nature trails and local artisan coffee shops being some of the many features I love about this area. With my previous work as a crisis lines responder, I have witnessed the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth across the country. The legislative efforts in Oregon surrounding youth suicide are vital for students who are struggling with reintegration after nearly two years of remote learning. With evolving challenges and increased burnout and fatigue among school staff, I hope to serve as a support to schools who may be feeling like they are alone in tackling Oregon’s innovative youth suicide prevention efforts. I look forward to connecting with school districts in my region with the hopes of achieving collective goal while honoring the uniqueness of each community's needs. Lucina Armstrong Michaud Pronouns: She/her/hers Email: LucinaM@linesforlife.org Lucina’s counties include: Lane, Douglas, Coos, Curry, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Lake I live in a rural community that lies between Eugene and the Coast. I love how gorgeous my part of the state is, and my family enjoys going on all the outdoor adventures. I am passionate about working with communities to best support their young people. My professional and personal experiences have shown me that when we feel connected, supported, and are able to develop social emotional skills, we are incredibly resilient and able to thrive. I care deeply about our schools having the support and tools that they need to provide both the safe space and the opportunities our young people need to be thriving members of our communities. I want this for all children and youth, including my own. And when I’m not working towards these goals, I am taking care of a very adorable and goofy menagerie of rescued animals at my little farm sanctuary. Interim: Claire Kille Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Email: ClaireK@linesforlife.org This Coordinator’s counties include: Baker, Union, Malheur, Umatilla, Harney, Morrow, Wallowa, Grant Ashley Meilahn Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Email: AshleyM@linesforlife.org Central Oregon Counties: Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Wasco, Wheeler, Gilliam, Hood River, Sherman Mid Central Counties: Clackamas, Linn, Marion I was born and raised in Wisconsin. In 2008, I moved out to Bend, Oregon to pursue my career journey in mental health, which has included working in wilderness therapy, therapeutic boarding schools, pursuing my master’s degree in mental health counseling, and working on crisis mobile teams. I have always had a passion for working with youth and most of my work reflects that passion. Working with youth and reflecting on my childhood, I am reminded of how important youth are to our communities! When working with youth in crisis, I learned that our communities were lacking resources in supporting our youth who are in crisis. Those experiences had an impact on me, and I am grateful for having this opportunity to support youth, school districts, schools, parents, and the whole community in youth suicide prevention and wellness efforts statewide through the School Suicide Prevention and Wellness Program. When I am not working, you will find my partner, our two pups, and myself exploring the wonders that mother nature provides! We are almost always on an adventure out in nature from backpacking in the Cascade Mountains, to hiking off trail to many of the raging and magnificent waterfalls, to listening to the waves crash on the Oregon coast, to admiring the high desert landscapes, and dark Eastern Oregon skies! You will find us all over this state adventuring, exploring anything and everything out in nature! Being in nature is where the core of me lives, and I honor every part of mother nature always! “In every walk in nature, one receives far more than one seeks.” -John Muir Claire Kille Pronouns: she/her/hers Email: ClaireK@linesforlife.org I've had the privilege to live in and explore various beautiful areas of the Western side of the state, including growing up in the Rogue Valley. I currently live in Eugene, with my partner and 2 dogs, after living in Portland for last 6 years. There is a list of gems to admire in Oregon, but I personally could never be too far from the Oregon Coast. I love having access to mountains, hikes to small lakes, and rivers to camp beside! My happy place is simply spending time by any body of water in warm weather, and when it's not warm, cozying up by a fire (both with good food in hand). I made my way into the suicide prevention world after working with youth in various settings, including alternative education, therapeutic foster care, and residential treatment. The thing I love most about this role is helping bring hearts and minds together for one dedicated purpose, whether that's working with our brilliant SSPW team, a school district, public health and local coalitions, or our various statewide partners. We are constantly learning from each other by building trusting relationships and connections, listening, validating, and acting on the needs we are seeing.SSPW Staff Bio’s
This year’s mini grant cycle is now closed.
Please email sspw@linesforlife.org with any questions. Thank you for your interest in a Suicide Prevention Mini-grant from YouthLine at Lines for Life!