News & Events

The Texas Suicide Prevention Council and Mental Health America of Texas have published a list of Texas laws (statutes) that relate to suicide prevention, services, or reporting.

The statutes are organized by subject, with a short explanation of what the law does and, when relevant, what suicide prevention advocates should know about that section of the law.

Subjects include:

• Schools and School Personnel
• Youth and Family Services
• Medical Services to Minors in the Conservatorship of the State
• Providing Mental Health Services or Medication without Consent
• Effect of Suicide Attempt on a Declaration for Mental Health Treatment
• Effect on Employment for persons convicted of Offense of Aiding a Suicide
• Public Safety/Criminal Justice
• Reports and Data
• Public Safety Emergency Response Systems
• Effect of Suicide in a Civil Action or Lawsuit
• Effect of Suicide on Property Transactions

Compiled by Denise Brady, JD, the list is current as of September 30, 2010. Stakeholders should check to see if any of these sections of the law are amended during the 2011 Texas legislative session.

Texas welcomes new state Suicide Prevention Coordinator

Jenna Heise, MA, NCC, BC-DMT, has been named the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Ms. Heise has worked as a therapist, counselor, educator and trainer at public and private mental health facilities in Philadelphia and Austin.

As Suicide Prevention Coordinator she provides oversight to suicide prevention programs, serves as a consultant, analyzes policy issues, and works with local and hospital suicide prevention coordinators and the Texas Suicide Prevention Council. Contact information: Jenna.Heise@dshs.state.tx.us

Free online suicide prevention training available to Texas public high school educators

In this interactive free online training, "At-Risk for High School Educators" faculty engage in conversations with three student avatars.

To date, 95% of Texans who completed the training said they were likely or very likely to refer a student exhibiting signs of psychological distress and 96% said that they would recommend the course to colleagues.

Because of grant restrictions only Texas public high school faculty may access the free course. A link to the training is available at www.mhatexas.org

Users practice and learn to use open-ended questions, reflective listening and other motivational interviewing techniques to effectively broach the topic of psychological distress, motivate the student to seek help and avoid common pitfalls such as attempting to diagnose the problem or giving unwarranted advice.

Support for the course comes from the Texas Department of State Health Services Office of Title V & Family Health, Mental Health Transformation Project and the Via Hope Mental Health Resource program.

For more information contact Mary Ellen Nudd, Mental Health America of Texas, menudd@mhatexas.org.