MCW Division of Suicide Research and Healing

Home
United States
Milwaukee, WI
MCW Division of Suicide Research and Healing

Our mission is to prevent su***de through research, education, clinical care & community engagement.

03/17/2026

While St. Patrick's Day is about luck, we're here to remind you that maintaining your mental wellness takes more than just luck. Mental wellness isn't simply related to your genetics. While genes play a role, we also have to work to find strategies that work for us. This might require trying different things a couple times to be successful. Find ideas for strategies and resources below 👇.

03/16/2026

Worried about someone, or struggling yourself? Get clear, compassionate answers to the internet’s top su***de questions, plus what to do next.

03/13/2026

Today is , and while Rest is Resistance is a book about much more than just sleep, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight our Division of Su***de Research and Healing (DSRH) Book Club!

In the DSRH, we love to create opportunities to learn, grow, and get to know one another better in safe spaces. In addition, we keep self-care at the forefront of what we do, as working in the fields of public health, academia, and su***de prevention frequently brings about heavy, mentally- and emotionally-taxing work. All this combined with our guiding principles of cultural proficiency in work and action and acknowledgement of past harms and disruption of those present brought about the DSRH Book Club and the decision to begin with the book Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey.

Tricia Hersey is the founder of The Nap Ministry, an organization that examines the liberating power of naps. Rest Is Resistance is rooted in spiritual energy and centered in Black liberation, womanism, somatics, and Afrofuturism. Through Rest is Resistance, Hersey encourages us to connect to the liberating power of rest, daydreaming, and naps as a foundation for healing and justice.

In order to get the most out of our reading, we invited two knowledgeable and worthy individuals, Latoya Friend and Njeri Jackson, to facilitate our discussions.

Latoya Friend is a Chicago native, educator, and elementary administrator at the Milwaukee Academy of Science as well as the founder of Universal Coaching Company. As a life coach, Latoya is grounded in the belief that true growth happens when people feel valued, supported, and capable of more than they ever imagined.

Njeri Jackson’s mission is rooted in creating positive change and developing impactful solutions for the well-being and empowerment of marginalized and underserved communities. This mission has led Njeri to venture into real estate development, with a focus on the social impact of housing in Milwaukee.

We are one meeting in and are so grateful and excited to continue to learn from Tricia Hersey, our facilitators, each other, and ourselves!📚✨

03/11/2026

Today, March 11th, is National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day. In accordance with this day of recognition, we are proud to share the results of a recent study we did on the mental wellbeing of funeral professionals, "Helping the Helpers," that we hope will shine a light on the mental health needs of this first responder profession (Monroe et al., 2025).

Through analysis of fourteen interviews with funeral professionals in Wisconsin, four main themes were discovered: (1) deeply entrenched occupational culture limits help-seeking and decreases wellbeing of funeral professionals, (2) funeral professionals are expected to support others through grief yet sometimes feel ill-prepared to process sustained exposure to death, especially traumatic and personal losses, (3) peer support is valuable, though it comes at a cost, and (4) from the individual to the macro, a shift in systems may increase the wellbeing of funeral professionals.

The main takeaways of this study are funeral professionals have unique experiences and needs and they are often overlooked within discussions of job-related secondary trauma. Funeral professionals should be considered when developing or advocating for mental health funding and support.

Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1721802

03/07/2026

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to take our work to the U.S. Capitol this week. Dr. Sara Kohlbeck and Dr. Colleen Trevino represented the CIC in Washington, D.C. with other CDC-funded Injury Control Research Centers. Dr. Kohlbeck presented her work on farmer su***de to members of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus as part of a larger briefing on mental health and injury prevention.

03/06/2026

Our Research Program Coordinator Lindsay, who supports the State of Wisconsin Su***de Mortality Review team, was selected to attend the 2026 VASMR Academy, which welcomed several new states and jurisdictions to its academy that received federal funding to engage in mortality review that focuses on Veterans. Lindsay provided subject matter expertise and shared the successes of team Wisconsin, who was awarded the same funding and attended the academy last year.

03/03/2026

Join us for Let’s Talk B-4 the Crisis, an inspiring and safe community event focused on early connection, support, and su***de prevention. This discussion panel is designed to engage community members before they reach a point of crisis, providing a space that is safe enough to come and brave enough to share personal testimonies.

Through meaningful conversation and feedback, participants will explore how connection, community, and CCS services can serve as powerful interventions for mental health. This is a chance to learn, listen, and contribute to solutions that strengthen our community’s resilience.

We’re proud of the partnerships between local community organizations to make this event impactful, inclusive, and transformative. Come be part of a dialogue that emphasizes hope, healing, and the power of community as prevention.

03/02/2026

Wishing the happiest of birthdays to the director of our division, Dr. Sara Kohlbeck, today! We hope you've had a great day filled with all the things you love.

02/27/2026

Eating disorders are often hidden, showing up in our habits, thoughts, and physical and mental health. They are also often associated with an increased risk of su***de. Individuals with eating disorders are more likely to have attempted su***de than those without an eating disorder.

Learn more, get help, share hope: nationaleatingdisorders.org/nedaw or follow National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).

02/24/2026

Our Director Dr. Sara Kohlbeck and Dr. Katherine Quinn received funding from the CIC to study the relationship between police violence and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among young Black men. Watch the video to learn more or check out our current pinned post with our research study flyers to learn more about this or any of our other research.

02/21/2026

We had a blast last night at POP supporting our partners at Prevent Su***de Greater Milwaukee through their charity drag bingo fundraiser event! PSGM is an open community coalition that provides free training opportunities, information, and community events for anyone interested in supporting mental health and su***de prevention efforts and resources. We encourage anyone interested in joining PSGM to attend their next meeting which is open to everyone on March 13 from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. at ThriveOn King. For more info, visit preventsu***demke.com.

02/20/2026

🚨NEW PUBLICATION ALERT🚨

Newly published study, first-authored by our very own Dr. Sara Kohlbeck, reports identifying students, particularly students of color, through a culturally-informed universal su***de risk screener. These students would not have been identified as having mental health challenges or being at risk for su***de without this screener.

This two-fold study also found through focus groups with youth and their caregivers that there is 1) a perceived need for more awareness and stigma reduction regarding su***de and mental health in the community and schools as well as 2) a distrust by youth of school staff and 3) negative impacts of mental health stigma that reduce the likelihood of help-seeking behaviors.

These results and their implications are important now more than ever as su***de is the second leading cause of death in those ages 10-24 in the U.S. and there has been an increase in recent years of su***des by youth of color.

Read more at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-026-01598-6

***dePrevention

Address

Milwaukee, WI

Website

https://www.mcw.edu/departments/comprehensive-injury-center/divisions/division-of-suicide-research-and-healing

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when MCW Division of Suicide Research and Healing posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to MCW Division of Suicide Research and Healing:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Milwaukee?