Missouri Suicide Prevention Conference
Save the Date | July 21, 2022
This hybrid event is brought to you by the Missouri Department of Mental Health, Missouri Behavioral Health Council and Community Counseling Center.
REGISTRATION OPEN | CLICK HERE
SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS
Emma Benoit
Emma Benoit became extremely passionate about suicide prevention after surviving a suicide attempt in 2017, the summer before her senior year in high school. At the time, she was a popular varsity cheerleader with a supportive family and lots of friends, but on the inside, she was filled with depression and anxiety, and had never told a soul about it. Her attempt resulted in a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed but helped her find faith and purpose; and propelled her on a mission to use her painful experience and miraculous recovery to help others.
A few months after her attempt, Emma started the website liferejuvenated.org and a blog to share her story and recovery journey, in an effort to help other teens who are struggling. In early 2018, Emma began working on a documentary film called My Ascension, which is scheduled for release in 2021, that chronicles her recovery journey and advocacy work, while addressing the youth suicide epidemic.
Tom Satterly
Command Sgt. Major (ret.) Tom Satterly served in the Army for 25 years, 20 of those years were spent in the military’s most secretive and elite Special Operations unit, Delta Force. As an Operator and CSM, Tom fought in and lead countless high profile military missions including Operation Red Dawn (Saddam Hussein’s capture) and the Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down) which was the longest sustained firefight since Vietnam. That 18-hour firefight ended with Tom, along with several of his team mates, running the Mogadishu Mile to safety.
Although the physical, mental, and emotional toll of war had compounded over the years, Tom never faced his Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms and in 2013 he nearly ended his life. Had it not been a text from his now wife, Jen, he would have joined the 22 veterans who commit suicide every single day.
We hope you will join us! If you have any questions, please contact us at events@mobhc.org.
Susan Klebold
Sue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two shooters at Columbine High School—a tragedy that saddened and galvanized the nation. Prior to publishing A Mother’s Reckoning, Sue spent 15 years after the tragedy excavating every detail of her family life, and trying to understand the crucial intersection between mental health problems and violence. Instead of becoming paralyzed by her grief and remorse, she became a passionate and effective agent working to advance mental health awareness and intervention.
She participated in presentations, co-chaired conferences at the state and national levels, volunteered on local non-profit boards for suicide prevention organizations, and wrote about the experience of surviving a loved one’s murder-suicide. Sue is a member of the National Loss and Healing Council of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and is a member of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Lived Experience Subcommittee. Sue is currently not available on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform.
