Missouri 2024 Suicide Prevention Conference
Audience: Clinicians. community and coalition members, suicide loss survivors, first responders, educators, stakeholders
Expected attendance: 1,000+ annually
Keynote Speaker: AnneMoss Rogers
Keynote Topic: Turning Pain into Purpose: Surviving a Son’s Depression, Addiction, and Suicide
After trying to find help for her once joyful son and rap artist, including wilderness therapy and therapeutic boarding school, AnneMoss’ son Charles met heroin, an addiciton that led to a depressive episode and downward spiral that ended with his suicide on June 5, 2015. This presentation is about her journey to healing by dragging an unpopular topic into the spotlight, how giving back has helped her heal, and how a blog community that came together in their shared pain has saved lives in the most surprising and unconventoinal of ways. This presentation carries a message of hope and genuine takeaways on how to spot and respond to someone in crisis.
Takeaways:
- How stigma played a role in Charles’ downward spiral
- One mom’s unconventional way to save lives
- Turning grief into action to find a path to healing
- What to say or do when someone is struggling
- Forgiving oneself after a loss by suicide
AnneMoss follows safe messaging and reporting guidelines on suicide