American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Hosting Suicide Prevention Conference for LGBT Communities

News provided by

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Mar 25, 2015, 10:30 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will host the 2^nd Annual Research to Practice Conference. This year's conference will focus on LGBT Suicide Risk and Prevention. The day-long conference, to be held Saturday, March 28 at San Francisco State University, will bring leading researchers from around the country together to share their findings.

"We are excited to be bringing some of the leading minds in LGBT mental health research together for one conversation about how to prevent suicide for this vulnerable population," said Ryan Ayers, Northern California Area Director for AFSP. "This is a great beginning but much more research is needed in this area."

Featured speakers include:

Jody Herman, PhD - Dr. Herman will provide a landscape overview of the research on suicide among transgender people, including promising interventions.
Ilan Meyer, PhD - Dr. Meyer will share current research on suicide attempts and suicide in LGBT individuals.
John Blosnich, PhD - Dr. Blosnich will highlight LGBT mental health issues specifically related to the veteran community, and his research of sexual minority status among U.S. military personnel.

Plenary and breakout sessions will include the role of families in preventing suicide in LGBT youth; minority stress for LGBT people; multicultural issues in suicide prevention for LGBT community; suicide risk and prevention in transgender communities, and more.

Speakers at the conference will include representatives from the Williams Institute, UCLA Law School, and Veterans Association, and several local Bay Area organizations working with LGBT communities.

The event begins at 8:30 a.m., and will be held at the Cesar Chavez Student Center at San Francisco State University. NBCC credits will be available for attendance. More information about the conference: http://bit.ly/1N1URiz

RSVP: Media must RSVP for this conference by emailing [email protected].

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention leads the fight against suicide. We fund research, offer educational programs, advocate for public policy, and support those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, AFSP has 75 local chapters with programs and events nationwide. Review our Annual Report to learn more about AFSP's life-saving work, and join the national conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.