Welcome back to our Mental Health Awareness Series! As many of you know, the month of May has been highlighted as Mental Health Awareness Month so we not only wanted to celebrate but also have some real conversations with some of the experts in the field who are on the front lines serving countless individuals that are struggling in the midst of the mental health disaster we find ourselves in. Let’s face it, due to the impact the last 3-4 years have had on everybody, it’s evident that people are exhausted, emotionally shot, and hurting. In fact, rates of anxiety, depression, and addiction are soaring to heights we’ve never seen before. However, even in the midst and severity of that, one of the most sobering things we’ve seen in the mental health space that not too many are acknowledging or talking about is the heartbreaking spike we are seeing in suicide especially among our kids as it has jumped to the 2nd leading cause of death for our teens. That is absolutely gut wrenching, and I believe it’s time we start talking about and addressing this issue.  That being said, in today’s episode we are going to have a real conversation about suicide with one of the leading experts in trauma and crisis work who has been an integral pioneering leader for us here at the American Association of Christian Counselors, Jennifer Ellers! Jennifer is a Professional Counselor, Life Coach, Crisis Response Trainer, author, and renowned speaker! She speaks extensively and provides training, counseling, and coaching in the field of grief, crisis, and trauma work and she is especially known for her work in and passion for developing faith-based suicide prevention training programs! In and throughout this episode, Jennifer not only shares her story about what really propelled her into the profession and field, but she also takes us on a journey of how we can better recognize, respond to, and refer individuals who are struggling with suicidal ideation in order to receive the best and most effective care and counsel possible! Our prayer is that after today’s conversation you would be educated, equipped, and encouraged to join us in the midst of this fight as we come alongside of the broken and faint of heart. Remember, God loves to use people through which He channels his messages of help, hope, and encouragement. Be sure to check out these incredible resources below as well, and DO NOT MISS the incredible resource we are gifting you in our Hope Focused 3R Suicide Prevention Training Program found  in the bottom link! This is an in depth training led by Jennifer where she goes deeper into the ways in which we can better RECOGNIZE the problem, risk factors, and warning signs of suicide, RESPOND to someone who is suicidal, as well as REFER and get someone the help they need when necessary. We offer 2 incredible trainings – one for adults and one for youth that are typically the value of $200 – but because of the pressing need we are seeing in our country today and in honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we have decided to bundle these and offer them both to you for ONLY $50! We pray that you would consider joining us in this fight!  SAFE-T Pocket Card: https://store.samhsa.gov/product/SAFE-T-Pocket-Card-Suicide-Assessment-Five-Step-Evaluation-and-Triage-for-Clinicians/sma09-4432 Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) Suicide Treatment Training: https://cams-care.com/Hope Focused “3R” Suicide Prevention Training Program (Adult & Youth Bundle): https://www.lightuniversity.com/cart/?add-to-cart=211967