Parents: one of the best ways to help protect children from suicide is by talking about suicide. It’s a common misconception that conversations about suicide will lead to suicidal thoughts, but in fact the opposite is true: starting a conversation demonstrates that you care and that you are a safe person with whom to have that conversation. That said, this is not an easy conversation to have. That’s why you will find a great collection of resources below to help prepare you. And DCPC Youth is here to help too! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you or your family is in need of support in any way. You’re not in this alone and we are here for you.

If you or a loved one is in imminent danger, please call 911 and ask for a Crisis Intervention Team Officer.

Other non-emergency helplines:

Consider putting these numbers in a visible place in your home and/or encouraging children to add these phone numbers to their contacts so that they are easy to find if a friend is in crisis.

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (call or text): 988
• The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ youth): 1-866-488-7386
• Text the Trevor Project by sending “Start” to 678-678
• Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860

Conversations about suicide

• “The Suicide Talk” – Why to have the talk and what to say
• “4 Things You Can Do to Start the Conversation on Suicide With Your Middle Schooler”
• Place Sharing – Structured conversation that Small Group Leaders will use to be invited into tough places in kids’ lives and offer hope; can easily work with families too
• Crisis Conversation Guides: Middle School & High School – Prompts for having conversations on tough situations
• What to Do When You Discover What You Weren’t Expecting – Guide for parents to pre-decide how you will react when receiving surprising news about/from your child

Protecting your kids

• “How to Recognize the Signs of Teen Suicide & Depression“
• “Teen Suicide Spike Linked to 13 Reasons Why” – Includes practical tips to reduce risk of suicide
• Parent Cues related to suicide: Middle School & High school – Prompts for conversations and things to try to create open lines of communication with your kids

Counselors in the Davidson area

• Brett Shore (Shore Counseling)
• Flyleaf Counseling
• Diana Moscoso (Sanctuary Counseling Group, sees clients at office at DUMC)
• Meredith McDaniel (milk+honey counseling)

Other Counselors

• Caroline Bundesman (Uptown Counseling)

Other resources

• Davidson LifeLine
• DCPC always has a pastor on call: 704-892-5641
• Matt is available for calls/texts: 704-840-5818
• DCPC Youth Small Group Leaders are great resources for kids and parents