The Network is excited to share an opportunity for partner agency employees to participate in an innovative research project about upstream suicide prevention. Drs. John Blosnich and Jeanne Ward of the University of Southern California (USC) shared information with two Network groups in July, explaining their National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research.

The USC project premise is that non-clinical industry professionals often interact with people experiencing distress due to financial, housing, employment, or other personal crises, which they collectively refer to as “life disruptions”. Suicide is very complex, but research shows that life disruptions are correlated to people thinking about or trying to take their own life. USC is therefore researching employees who work with clients facing life disruptions, including housing counselors, financial counselors, and workforce development, who may have varying levels of training in suicide prevention. The study, certified by the USC institutional review board, includes an anonymous online survey of 15 minutes with an optional gift card raffle and an optional, confidential Zoom or telephone interview of 20-30 minutes with a gift card incentive of $35. Interviews have individual and employer names redacted, and locations are not assessed.

The Network is supporting this study by sharing the opportunity with organizations throughout the United States, which have a strong record of serving clients who are going through life disruptions. USC will, in turn, provide The Network with aggregated results of the findings and acknowledge The Network. The Network agency leaders are encouraged to share the study URL and flyer with employees who work in client-facing roles in housing, employment services, and financial counseling. To be clear, this study is NOT for clients. This study is intended only for employees of agencies. For more information on the study, please contact blosnich@usc.edu.