Larry Berkowitz, co-founder and senior clinical consultant of Riverside Trauma Center, presents during Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth’s seminar, “SOS for School Staff: Gatekeeper Training.” (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
WAKEFIELD — Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) hosted an in-person professional development seminar, “SOS for School Staff: Gatekeeper Training,” on March 10 at Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School in Danvers.
Larry Berkowitz, Ed.D., Co-Founder and Senior Clinical Consultant at Riverside Trauma Center, led teachers, support staff and school administrators through the interactive, multi-model training. Berkowitz held a discussion designed to inform and empower trusted adults in a school community to recognize and respond to the warning signs of suicide and crisis issues in youth.
Participants utilized video examples of real-world discussions and stories from teens to learn the warning signs and risk factors for suicide in children and teens, how to engage in appropriate, caring conversations with students, and how to protect students while connecting them with qualified school staff.
Berkowitz has over 30 years of experience directing therapeutic services and managing mental health services. For 19 years, he directed Riverside Trauma Center, helping people, organizations and communities cope with tragic situations and teaching essential skills for effective intervention. Berkowitz works with acute trauma survivors and suicide survivors, and conducts trainings on suicide prevention.
Participants praised the seminar for the resources it provided educators and the perspective Berkowitz brought to the discussion.
“The ‘SOS for Gatekeepers’ seminar gave me more information and tools on how to support students who may be struggling with suicide,” said Julia Fairclough, Adjustment Counselor at Joseph Keefe Technical High School. “It was important to learn about how to talk to our students about this very important topic.”
“It was such a pleasure to attend the seminar with Larry Berkowitz,” said Will English, School Counselor at Beverly Middle School. “Larry is such an amazing speaker. His knowledge of suicidality is unmatched. I am especially grateful to MPY for offering this important training to us folks on the North Shore.”
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth. MPY programming reaches nearly 6,000 educators per year in Massachusetts, spread across approximately 300 districts, with more than 190 webinars and over a dozen conferences and seminars.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com.
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Teachers, support staff and school administrators listen to a presentation during Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth’s seminar, “SOS for School Staff: Gatekeeper Training.” (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
