Department Hosts Community Suicide Prevention Event “Hope Starts Here”
Counselor Education students and community professionals came together for a day of education, honest conversation, and training in suicide prevention.
October 14, 2026
Stetson University’s Department of Counselor Education hosted “Hope Starts Here: A Community Suicide Prevention Event” on Oct. 9, bringing together students, faculty, and community professionals for a day focused on suicide awareness, prevention, and intervention.
The event was organized in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) Central Florida Chapter and coordinated by Nicole King, adjunct faculty member in the Department of Counselor Education, alongside Dr. Laura Cunningham, an Assistant Professor of Practice and chapter faculty advisor for Stetson’s chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the counseling academic and professional honor society. More than 39 students and community members attended the event.
The morning session featured two of AFSP’s signature educational programs: “Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention,” covering the scope of suicide, risk factors and warning signs, and “Caring Communities: Guidance for Supporting Survivors of Suicide Loss,” focused on compassionately supporting those who have lost someone to suicide.
The day’s events also included a moderated speaker panel and audience Q&A bringing together professionals from clinical mental health, education, law enforcement, fire/rescue, and community suicide prevention. Panelists included Lori Jones, LMHC; Gina Francolino, LMHC; Carl Metzger, former University of Central Florida Chief of Police; Bradley McKibben, LMHC, Stetson’s Department of Counselor Education Chair; Tyra Roy, LMHC; and Whitney Egan, firefighter and EMT who serves as a board member for Speak Up Tomorrow Needs You.
Chi Sigma Iota provided lunch for attendees, and the day closed with an optional “Talk Saves Lives” training session for students and community members who wish to volunteer as AFSP program presenters in their own communities.
“My hope in organizing this event was to bring together individuals from different backgrounds, professions, and lived experiences to have honest conversations about suicide prevention, awareness, and the role we all play in supporting those around us,” King said. “Suicide prevention is not the responsibility of one profession, organization, or individual. It is something we all have a role in.”
King and the Department of Counselor Education extend thanks to AFSP for providing the day’s training, to Speak Up Tomorrow Needs You for its ongoing work in the community, and to the panelists who shared their time and expertise with attendees.
The Department of Counselor Education remains committed to giving students direct exposure to the realities of suicide prevention and intervention alongside the clinical knowledge they gain in the classroom.
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
