Newswise — FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla - Recent statistics show that every 12.95 minutes in the United States someone dies from suicide. It's estimated that every year, nearly 1 million Americans attempt suicide, and more than 40,000 die annually by taking their own life. It's the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
Those are truly sobering statistics – and why it's important that everyone be aware of the warning signs that someone they know and love may be having some trouble, and they need help. To that end, September has been designated National Suicide Prevention Month. For media working related stories. Nova Southeastern University is home to subject matter experts in the areas of suicide awareness and prevention.
Douglas Flemons, Ph.D.Professor, Family TherapyNSU's College of PsychologyCo-Director, NSU's Office of Suicide and Violence PreventionDepartment of Family Therapy
Douglas Flemons, Ph.D., graduated from Simon Fraser University in 1981 with a bachelor's in general studies. He returned to school in 1984 to study family therapy at the University of British Columbia, where he earned his master's degree in counseling psychology. He then left to earn a doctorate at the Texas Tech University. Today, Flemons is professor of family therapy, clinical professor of family medicine, and co-director of NSU's Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention. Author of books on writing (Writing Between the Lines), hypnosis and therapy (Of One Mind), psychotherapy and Eastern philosophy (Completing Distinctions), and suicide assessment (Relational Suicide Assessment, co-authored with Dr. Len Gralnik), he is also co-editor, with his wife and colleague, Dr. Shelley Green, of a book on brief sex therapy (Quickies). Flemons maintains a private practice in Fort Lauderdale, Fla and presents widely on hypnosis, psychotherapy, sexuality, suicide, writing, and other topics.
Scott Poland, Ed.D., Professor, NSU's College of PsychologyCo-Director of the NSU Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention
Scott Poland, Ed.D., is a nationally recognized expert on school crisis, youth violence, suicide intervention, self-injury, school safety, threat assessment, parenting and the delivery of psychological services in schools. He is a founding member of the National Emergency Assistance Team for the National Association of School Psychologists and serves as the Prevention Director for the American Association of Suicidology. He has led multiple national crisis teams following numerous school shootings and suicides and has assisted schools and communities after terrorism acts in New York, Washington, D.C. and Oklahoma. Poland served as the team leader of the crisis response team sent to Jefferson County Public Schools during the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings.
Poland is a Past President of the National Association of School Psychologists and was the Director of Psychological Services (1982-2005) for a large Texas school district that received numerous state and national awards for its exemplary psychological services. He has received many individual honors including being named a finalist for the national school psychologist of the year, named the most outstanding school psychologist in Texas twice and named most outstanding psychologist in Texas. He also received the Houston Wage Peace Award.
About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 24,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education's criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.
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