Blog #14: Third Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

For this interview, I intend on interviewing Lizette Martinez from the DIdi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center. Her current position in this facility is the Training Coordinator for online suicide prevention chats. hotline volunteers and support group members. She is responsible for all of the education that the volunteers receive in order to ensure that each person who is receiving help is receiving the best help possible.

 

2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview?

Currently, my interviewee and I are still discussing times which are compatible for both of us. Initially, we discussed having it in person, however, video chatting may be our best option considering that our central locations are far from each other.

3.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.

Why would being educated on suicide prevention risk factors assist in approach?

How is approaching someone who may be experiencing suicidal ideation be done?

4.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).

How can access to resources help prevent suicide?

5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ.

What factors do you believe are the most significant to leading someone into considering suicide?

Why is proper education on risk factors important to preventing suicide?

How would one approach someone who is considering suicide, or is at high risk of completing it?
What are important factors to consider before beginning to apprach someone with suicidal ideation?

Blog 13: 10 Hours Mentorship Check-In

“The exchange of knowledge is what creates a bond between the mentor and the student.”

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?

Throughout the course of senior year I have been completing my senior mentorship hours with Dr. Maureen Burney at Chino Mental Health Associates located at 13751 Roswell Ave # A, Chino, CA 91710.

2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?

The person who called in was my mentor, clinical/health psychologist Dr. Maureen Burney. I would consider her an expert since she achieved a doctorate in clinical and health psychology and has accumulated over 30 years of experience in practice within the mental health field. In addition to this she has worked in various locations including the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center as a supervisor of the Crisis Intervention Team, Pitzer College as a research assistant, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health as a Masters Level Practicum, and the Behavioral Medicine Unit of La Palma Hospital.

3.   How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).

In total I have completed a total of 57 hours including my 10 summer mentorship hours.

4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.

What I have completed with my mentor have been various tasks experiences in the psychology field including creating evaluations and predictions of different patients, working on business management (independent practitioners) and lastly on small projects of investigation towards informing the public on the importance of knowledge on mental health.

I believe that my mentor and I have a strong bond that has been reflected in the way that I have presented my knowledge on my topic of suicide prevention. Dr. Burney has been a great mentor not only for senior project but for other important aspects in following a field in psychology. She assisted me with applying to private schools that specialize in psychology and pushed me to look at myself so that I could better other people.

For my next hours my mentor and I plan on working on a new project of creating a video channel on informing the public - possibly with PSAs or with short educational films.

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

This break I took a lot of moment of self-reflection  where I realized how my mind is not that different of those who I want to help. This has given me a better understanding of the importance of caring for oneself before trying to save the world. 

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?

Over the course of the break, I dedicated time to go in and help my mentor, worked on my independent component and lastly began researching different associations and groups that could train me to be a suicide prevention counselor (which could serve as my second independent component).

I went in to help my mentor for a total of eight and a half hours over the break primarily to help input patient information and reports of progress into an online database for future reference, and also to begin mapping out a project my mentor wants to begin of creating a youtube channel to educate the general public about the brain and introduce facts about how physical health can affect mental health. In addition to this, we discussed different factors that could lead into depression from overworking oneself, as we went over the schedules that each one of us upheld.

I felt that this break allowed more personal construction tied in with a realization of how different factors that I am currently researching are directly tied into my own life. This simple acknowledgment has pushed me to focus on helping myself grow while also motivating me to want to help others.  

As for working on my independent component, I published several of my blog posts that I had been holding back. Gennesis (my partner) furnished the rough edges that we both found in my blog posts and I furnished several of hers which we both hope to finalize soon. In addition to this, I began to post on our Instagram and Gennesis also concentrated on our Pinterest account.

Lastly, for my second independent component I had hoped to take a Psychology Class at Young Scholars, however, the classes were either out of my schedule or could not fit me in the class. As an alternative, I began to look at different trainings on suicide which I could take which through seminars and lessons add up to just about 30 hours! There are a series of programs (eSuicideTalk, safeTalk, ASIST) which all focus on suicide prevention at different levels, ranging from students to medical professionals and what I am aiming to do is be able to participate in these programs, even as an observer. At the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center in Santa Ana they offer these trainings, and my mentor is also pulling a few strings to see if it is possible.

ASIST is the most extensive form of suicide prevention training and I am keeping high hopes that I will be allowed to at least observe. I remain with my fingers crossed. 

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

The most important thing I would say that I learned is that the mental health of an individual cannot be determined by their knowledge of the human psyche and those involved in helping others are also very much susceptible to falling ill. Simply knowing about a topic does not make you invisible and it isn’t until you begin to apply what you know to your life or on those around you that it becomes useful. I learned this from a mixture of personal challenges along with a talk with my mentor on stress, and knowing when to “stop.” Reaching mental breaking points is preventable, and knowing your limits is essential especially if you are trying to help others.  

3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

There are currently two people I have in line: Patricia Harness-Overley M.S. who is a counselor with Hope After Suicide in Chino and Rick Grant Coons, PsyD. the leader of the Suicide Prevention Center at the Didi Hirsch Facility. I hope to get at least interview one of them because they are experts in suicide prevention — one focuses on helping families after a suicide attempt has been completed and the other focuses on preventing suicide before an attempt is made — which would provide me with a different perspectives on suicide that I currently do not have.