“It’s time to tell everyone who’s dealing with a mental health issue that they’re not alone, and that getting support and treatment isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength.”
– Michelle Obama

This event took place on Thursday, May 5th from 9:00am – 10:30am . A powerful “10 Days of Connection” Impact Collaborative in collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental illness (NAMI) on how we can best help recognize and help prevent suicide attempts by women and girls. 

“I finally realized that owning up to your vulnerabilities is a form of strength.
And making the choice to go to therapy is a form of strength.”
– Lizzo

What You Need To Know: It can be extremely frightening to find yourself or someone you love having thoughts about dying or giving up on life. Not taking these kinds of thoughts seriously can have devastating outcomes, as suicide is a permanent solution to (often) temporary problems.

According to the CDC and NIMH, suicide rates have increased by 35% since 1999. Nearly 48,000 lives were lost to suicide in 2019 alone. Comments or thoughts about suicide — also known as suicidal ideation — can begin small like, “I wish I wasn’t here” or “Nothing matters.” But over time, they can become more explicit and dangerous.

Tragically, tens of thousands of Americans lose their lives to suicide every year, the statistics are alarming. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

What You Can Do: If you or someone you love is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK or text NAMI to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

“Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step”
– Mariska Hargitay

Panelists

Rebecca is a student at Florida Atlantic University, where she is pursuing her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Since 2019, Rebecca has worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to fight stigma and promote hope by sharing her story of living and thriving with a mental health condition.  She is passionate about educating others on the importance of treatment accessibility, social support, and suicide prevention. On the rare occasion, she is not doing schoolwork, Rebecca enjoys writing, drawing, spending time with friends, and snuggling with her loud cat, Shiloh.

Laura is a dedicated professional in the social services field with experience at both the clinical and management level. Laura has also worked with both State agencies and non-profits in the behavioral health care sector.

Amongst her accomplishments she has:

Experience in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration including Contract Management, Monitoring, Continuous Quality Improvement, Compliance and Strategic Planning.

Provided technical assistance and training regarding management, programmatic and client issues and assisted in interpreting rules, policies, and standards.

Reviewed and conducted clinical assessments for Substance Abuse, Mental Health and Co-occurring populations.

Collected data and generated statistical reports on consumers in need of behavioral health services analyzing trends and benchmarks.

Supervised System of Care, CQI, and IT including: Supervised the day-to-day operations and employees and supervised the funding and funds allocation to community agencies.

She has also worked for both The Village and the Department of Children’s and Families. As the COO of South Florida Behavioral Health Network, Laura is responsible for the Quality Assurance, Quality Improvement, Compliance, and System of Care Divisions.  She is a critical member of the executive management team; helping guide and set the course for the next phase of SFBHN’s growth.

Laura received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Florida International University.  She is also certified in health care compliance and privacy.

Heather D. Winters is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 20 years of experience in the human services arena, including 11+ years in senior administrative roles. She has extensive experience in program development and management, strategic planning and executive management. Heather began her career working at the Psychiatric Institute of Southeastern Illinois following completion of her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University. She graduated from the University of Miami in 2000 with a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling. Following graduation, her work as a therapist included providing intensive home and school based therapeutic services to children and adolescents. She worked with The Journey Institute providing individual and group counseling to child, adolescent and adult survivors of sexual violence. Heather then joined the team at Family Counseling Services of Greater Miami (FCS) when it acquired the Journey Institute.

Heather also maintained a private practice from 2007-2012, where she provided individual, family and group counseling. Her areas of specialization include trauma, PTSD, anxiety and depression. In addition, Heather served as Executive Director of Family Counseling Services from 2012-2014. From 2014-2016 she served as the Senior Director of the Family Counseling Services Division following the organization’s merger with Switchboard of Miami, Inc. From 2016-2018, Ms. Winters served as the Executive Director of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment.

Ms. Winters joined Jewish Community Services of South Florida, Inc. in 2018 and served as the Division Director of Children’s Behavioral Health and Helpline Services. In 2020, Ms. Winters was appointed Chief Programs Officer for Jewish Community Services. She has worked closely with key community partners, stakeholders and funders over the years including United Way of Miami-Dade, Thriving Mind, The Children’s Trust and The Miami Foundation, and has represented the non-profit community on numerous advisory boards, councils and collaborative partnerships.

Ms. Sally J. Alayon has proudly dedicated 32 years to Miami-Dade County Public Schools.  Currently she serves as the Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Mental Health Services which was established in July 2018. Previously Ms. Alayon served as a Regional Center Administrative Director within the North Region where she facilitated Budget, Personnel, and daily operations of the schools within the region.  Additionally, she was the founding principal of Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High.  She also served as the principal of Highland Oaks Middle School as well as an assistant principal and teacher at various schools throughout the school district.  Ms. Alayon is as  committed as ever to ensuring all students have the opportunity to receive a world class education.

Susan Racher is President of the Board of Directors of NAMI Miami-Dade [National Alliance on Mental Illness] our local affiliate of the largest peer to peer mental health organization in the US serving Miami and the Keys.  She is also  Secretary of the Board and Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee of Thriving Mind South Florida Board of Directors.   Her professional career in in finance and investments, where she is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. 

Susan is a passionate advocate for mental health education and suicide prevention.  Her goals are to educate our community about mental health, to raise awareness of signs of mental unwellness, and to help improve access to care. She believes that if mental health literacy is raised,  we can improve recovery outcomes and save lives through early intervention and suicide prevention education.  Her mental health volunteer work began following her son’s serious mental illness episode in 2011 and his subsequent recovery. She saw first-hand the unmet need for mental health education, access to care, and support –  as well as the potential for recovery when these three pillars are present.

Susan was named as “Investment Manager of the Year: Small Foundations” by Institutional Investor Magazine in 2013; as “Public Citizen of the Year” by the National Association of Social Workers Miami-Dade Chapter in 2017; a “Woman of Impact” by the Women’s Fund in 2019 and honored as one of 20 “Inspiring Women of Health” from Dade, Broward, and Monroe Counties, by Health Foundation of South Florida in 2021. Susan is also volunteer Chair of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Treasury Advisory Committee; and a member of International Women’s Forum.   She has a B.A. from Smith College in English and Economics, and an M.B.A from the University of Chicago in Finance and Accounting.