Dr. Don Belau, Ph.D. Dr. Belau is actively involved in suicide prevention and suicide postvention efforts across the country. He has led the development of LOSS teams across Nebraska which has resulted in ten active teams, with others in the early stages of development. Dr. Belau is a trainer for the AFSP Suicide Bereavement Clinician Training Program (SBCTP); Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR) program, and was instrumental in the development of the Nebraska K-12 Suicide Prevention — Postvention Online Training which over 28,000 staff have completed since August 1, 2018. Dr. Belau holds a Master of Science degree in Counseling, Education Specialist degree in Educational Psychology, and as well as a Ph.D. in Psychological and Cultural Studies from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Contact Dr. Belau Reverend Laura Biddle Rev. Laura is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and has been practicing ministry for thirty years. She graduated from Episcopal Divinity School in 1986. Her first Call to Ministry was serving women in prison as an advocate for their spiritual health and well being. During this time, Rev. Laura worked closely on issues regarding domestic violence, addiction, loss, and community awareness. As a trained grief counselor, in 2009 Rev. Laura became the spiritual advisor to military families who were grieving suicide. Working with the staff of an organization called TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Project for Survivors), she continues to be committed to helping military families advance their spiritual health. Please visit her website at laurabiddle.com to learn more. Contact Rev. Laura Brandy Lidbeck, LMFT Brandy Lidbeck is a licensed marriage and family therapist and helped develop and currently oversees the LOSS Team in the Central Valley of California. Brandy has presented at the National LOSS Team conference as well as the annual American Association of Suicidology Healing After a Loss Conference. As a two-time suicide-loss survivor herself, Brandy is passionate about reaching each survivor and connecting them with the support and resources that were not available to her at the time of her own losses. Lidbeck is also the author of The Gift of Second: Healing from the Impact of Suicide which is often given out to new survivors by LOSS Teams throughout the U.S. Brandy also runs the website thegiftofsecond.com, a safe place for fellow survivors to gain hope, healing, and connection with one another. Contact Ms. Lidbeck Dr. John McIntosh, Ph.D. Dr. McIntosh is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Indiana University South Bend and is Past President of the American Association of Suicidology. His research focus includes gerontology and suicidology, and he has taught courses on suicide and depression. Dr. McIntosh’s most recent books are Devastating Losses: How Parents Cope With the Death of a Child to Suicide or Drugs which has been praised as “a thorough and elaborate American study has appeared on the grief and mourning process of bereaved parents” (LAVA) [LEARN MORE] and Grief After Suicide: Understanding the Consequences and Caring for the Survivors(edited with John Jordan), which is geared towards mental health professionals, grief counselors, clergy, and others who work with survivors in a professional capacity [LEARN MORE]. CLICK HERE to visit Dr. McIntosh’s website. Contact Dr. McIntosh Jill McMahon, L.P.C. Jill McMahon, a licensed professional counselor, works as a Prevention Specialist and grief counselor in the Phoenix metro area. She has specialized in working with Survivors of Suicide, facilitating support groups, and working with Survivors individually for the last 16 years. Jill has helped to build the LOSS (Local Outreach for Suicide Survivors) Program in Arizona, through EMPACT Suicide Prevention Center. She serves as the clinical lead for the Phoenix team. She is a member of the Annual National LOSS Team Conference Committee. Recently she partnered in hosting the 2017 National LOSS conference in Phoenix, and plans to do the same in 2018. Jill also provides support for youth impacted by suicide in her private practice, Spring Returns Counseling Services. She can also be found providing suicide prevention presentations and trainings around the community, as well as speaking about Survivors of Suicide bereavement at national and international conferences. Jill is passionate about, and has dedicated her life’s work to, working with those bereaved by suicide. CLICK HERE to visit Ms. McMahon’s website. Contact Ms. McMahon Denise Meine-Graham, C.T. Denise Meine-Graham is a former corporate executive who, after losing her son Drey to suicide in 2012, started LOSS Community Services in Columbus, Ohio. LOSS CS exists to be an installation of hope to the bereaved by suicide. The programs she started include an on-scene 1st responder LOSS Team based on Dr. Frank Campbell’s model, an In-Touch program for staying in contact with the bereaved, both open and closed support groups and a Companioning program based off of Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s model of supporting mourners. Denise transitioned from the Executive Director role to that of a Board Member in January, 2022. Denise is now self-employed as a consultant helping individual communities launch LOSS Teams and Postvention programs. Denise also works at a state level developing postvention infrastructures and networks. Leveraging her strong business acumen, Denise has created a robust framework on how to launch a LOSS Team, assisted with the nationally recognized media reporting guidelines on suicide created by AAS, testified before state legislators regarding bills and laws related to postvention and is often asked to speak about the importance of suicide postvention as well as her personal experience as a suicide loss survivor. Denise has received multiple awards in recognition of her accomplishments and collaborative approach. She has extensive education in suicide prevention and is a QPR Trainer, a CALM trainer and a “How to Share Your Story” trainer. She is also a graduate of the Center of Loss and Life Transition with her Death and Grief Studies certification. Denise is a member of AAS, ADEC, and the Tri-State Trauma Network. She lives in Ohio. CLICK HERE to visit Ms. Meine-Graham’s website. Contact Ms. Meine-Graham Dr. Dave Miers, Ph.D., LIPC Dr. Miers is the Counseling and Program Development Manager for Mental Health Services at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, NE. He helped establish the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition in 1999 and has chaired/co-chaired this Coalition until 2017 and currently serves as the past co-chair. He serves on the leadership group for the Lincoln/Lancaster County Suicide Prevention Coalition. He has published research and co-authored a chapter in the Routledge International Handbook of Clinical Suicide Research focusing on family survivors of a child suicide. Dr. Miers assisted in the development of the Lincoln Lancaster Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors team in Lincoln, NE and has assisted in the development of other LOSS teams in Nebraska. Dr. Miers helped establish the National LOSS Conference concept which is a yearly conference for LOSS teams across the country to meet and learn from each other and for others interested in developing a team to attend. Contact Dr. Miers if you have specific questions about the development of LOSS teams. Contact Dr. Miers Dr. Brij Mohan, Ph.D., D. Litt. (hon.) Dr. Brij Mohan is Dean Emeritus, School of Social Work, Louisiana State University and the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Comparative Social Welfare (1981-2012). He has published extensively in the field of social work, including 2012’s Society and Social Justice: A Nexus in Review; and in 2014 published a debut novella, Death of an Elephant. Contact Dr. Mohan Pamela Pflum, BSN, RN Ms. Pflum is a 33 year veteran RN who has management experience in acute care, public health and the mental health & addiction services. Under Pamela, the Four County L.O.S.S. Team of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, and Williams Counties, Ohio went live in May 2015. Before going live, Pamela set the ground work in the four counties working with over 30 law enforcement jurisdictions and four coroners. The 32 member team continually looked for opportunities for improvement through sustained training and debriefing during monthly meetings. According to Dr. Frank Campbell, the Four County L.O.S.S. Team was the fastest team he has seen go from concept to implementation. The L.O.S.S. Team has had a profound effect on the survivors of suicide and is seen as a huge benefit by law enforcement and the coroners. This was achieved through Pamela’s coordinated efforts. Pamela is relocating to the state of Florida in December 2016 and is available to consult on the development and sustainability of L.O.S.S. Teams. Contact Ms. Pflum Dr. Regina T. Praetorius, M.S.S.W., Ph.D. Dr. Praetorius is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, University of Texas-Arlington. Dr. Praetorius's research interests include Suicide, Suicide Bereavement, Impacts of Community and Individual Traumas, Military Suicide Prevention, Qualitative Research, and Social Work Education. She teaches classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels focusing on human behavior in the social environment and research methodology. Her service activities include serving as a guest editor for several scholarly journals and serving as a program evaluator for the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors Team (LOSS Team) of Tarrant County and other agencies in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Dr. Praetorius has also assisted the LOSS Team and WORN for Peace with grant funding and evaluation activities toward starting these two exciting programs. Contact Dr. Praetorius Dr. William M. “Bill” Schmitz, Jr., Psy.D. Bill Schmitz, Jr., Psy.D. is currently the President of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and is also the Chair of that Association’s Task Force on Improving Clinical Competency in Suicide. Bill is a clinical psychologist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, working primarily with our nation’s veterans. He has been very active in AAS, serving in several roles including: Chair of the Clinical Division; Chair of the AAS Task Force on Improving Clinical Competency in Suicide; AAS Publications Review Committee Chair; and the 2004 AAS Annual Conference Program Chair. Bill is available to consult on forensic suicidology and related issues. Contact Dr. Schmitz Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon, M.S. Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon, M.S. is a suicidologist and the CEO and founder of SSD Consulting. She works with nonprofit organizations, community task forces, suicide loss survivors, first responders, and public safety personnel, providing consultation and training on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, including starting and sustaining LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors) Teams. Ms. Schweitzer Dixon has thirteen and a half years of experience managing a nonprofit suicide prevention organization. She trained various professionals, including first responders and law enforcement officers, about suicide prevention, mental health, and crisis intervention strategies. During those years, she coordinated a LOSS Team, helping suicide loss survivors while working with law enforcement agencies. Her expertise focuses on suicide loss survivors, implementing and sustaining LOSS Team Programs, and law enforcement suicide prevention and postvention. She is currently working with the Massachusetts Suicide Postvention Taskforce to provide training and consultation to communities in the New England region starting LOSS Teams. Ms. Schweitzer Dixon has a master's degree in Forensic Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health Workers, First Responders, and Disaster Teams from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is a suicide prevention and postvention trainer, including one of Dr. Frank Campbell's capacity building trainers to develop LOSS Teams. Ms. Schweitzer Dixon is also a member of the National Police Suicide Foundation, the American Psychological Association, and the National LOSS Team Conference Planning Committee, where she presents at the annual conference. Please visit her website at www.ssd-consulting.com to learn more. Contact Ms. Schweitzer Dixon Georgia K.M. Tobin Georgia is a web designer/developer and graphics designer. She has worked with Dr. Campbell since 2009 on the LOSS team site. She seeks to create beautiful websites that are attuned to their intended audience and that make information easy for users to access. Contact Ms. Tobin Please note: the LOSSTeam website is not intended to provide help in a crisis. If you are feeling suicidal or need help for yourself or someone you know, please consult IASP's Suicide Prevention Resources to find a crisis center anywhere in the world. In the US, call toll-free 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for a free suicide prevention service or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org. Copyright © 2022 Dr. Frank Campbell