The Future of Suicide Prevention: Here is What You Can Do
Join the conversation and help document the full cost of firearm suicide.
IN THIS EDITION:
A conversation you won’t want to miss.
Be part of a groundbreaking survivor-centered study.
Follow bold new outreach in one of Pennsylvania’s hardest-hit regions.
Explore new research that challenges what we think we know.
REGISTER NOW: April 10 at 12 PM
Got a question for our guest? Send it in before we go live.
Craig J. Bryan, PsyD, ABPP
We’re hosting a live Beyond the Headlines webinar on The Future of Suicide Prevention with special guest Craig J. Bryan, a board-certified clinical psychologist, Professor of Psychiatry, and Director of the Suicide Care Clinic at the University of Vermont. He has published more than 250 scientific articles on suicide prevention, trauma, PTSD, and resilience, with research funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the Navy SEAL Foundation, and other major institutions.
He is the author of Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention and Rethinking Suicide: Why Prevention Fails, and How We Can Do Better, and his work has been featured in Scientific American, NPR, CNN, USA Today, and The New York Times.
Register Now and Submit Your Questions!
If You’ve Lost Someone to Firearm Suicide
There is a cost to this kind of loss that rarely gets named. It’s not only financial: it’s the weight families carry, the silence that follows, and the ripple effects that extend far beyond a single home and across a lifetime.
Families are the foundation of a community. When one is fractured by suicide, that foundation is shaken for years to come.
We need to hear from you.
As part of a University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government Capstone project, we are partnering with a graduate researcher to examine The Full Cost of Firearm Suicide in Pennsylvania. This study looks beyond what is typically counted to ask a harder question: what do firearm suicides actually cost families, first responders, schools, workplaces, and local governments?
If you’re willing to be part of this groundbreaking initiative, please email [email protected] or Complete this form.
Community Highlight
Stories and efforts addressing firearm suicide in our communities.
Jonathan Gomez joined CeaseFirePA Education Fund in November as our Community Liaison for Firearm Suicide Prevention in the Poconos.
An Army veteran with four combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Jonathan moved to Pennsylvania in 2015 and has since mentored and trained youth wrestlers across the Lehigh Valley and Poconos. He has been married for 19 years and is the father of three.
He is now leading community-based efforts in a region that has seen some of the sharpest increases in firearm suicide in the state.
Over the past 20 years, Pennsylvania’s firearm suicide rate increased by more than 40% statewide. Across the Commonwealth’s 67 counties, some areas experienced far steeper rises. In the Poconos, several counties climbed sharply in rank.
• Carbon County rose from 25th to 1st in Pennsylvania. Its population grew about 9%, yet the firearm suicide rate more than doubled.
• Monroe County moved from 32nd to 24th, with a rise that exceeded population growth.
• Pike County jumped from 51st to 23rd, increasing faster than Pennsylvania overall.
• Wayne County went from 6th to 2nd in the state, remaining among the highest in Pennsylvania.
That is why Jonathan is stepping forward, drawing on his years as a wrestling coach to build conversation and connection around suicide prevention in his community.
On March 22 at 8:00 AM, he will bring that commitment to the Beyond the Mat Classic wrestling tournament, creating space for people to gather, learn, and support prevention efforts in the Poconos.
Wrestling teaches resilience and accountability. Beyond the mat, those same values can help protect our communities. CLICK HERE TO JOIN US.
Do you know of a local person, group, or effort in your community that others might find interesting to learn about? We’d love to feature them! Submit a nomination here.
What We’re Reading
Stories and research shaping how we understand firearm suicide.
2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report — Suicide deaths increased again among veteran men and women, with firearms involved in nearly three out of every four deaths.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders and Firearm and Nonfirearm Suicides in the US — A recent study linked ERPO “red flag” laws to about 675 fewer firearm suicides across four states, with no evidence of people switching to other methods.
Asking Preadolescents About Suicide Is Not Associated With Increased Suicidal Thoughts — Even when children were asked directly and repeatedly about suicide, it did not increase suicidal thoughts, challenging the fear that asking the question plants the idea.