Sign Up: Forefront Suicide Prevention Training
- 10/14/2026
- Category: Featured Announcements
The Northwest School is proud to partner with the UW Center of Excellence's Forefront Suicide Prevention to offer a hands-on training session at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, that aims to prevent suicide through education and systemic change.
Facilitated by NWS parents Dr. Mithya Lewis-Newby (renowned pediatric physician at Seattle Children's Hospital and Professor at the UW School of Medicine) and Jan Lewis-Newby (NWS Trustee with two decades of leadership in Human Resources and Organizational Development), this on-campus event is designed specifically for parents and caregivers.
Faculty and students already participate in Forefront Suicide Prevention training. This important event extends the same training to parents and caregivers to expand its impact beyond the classroom and giving families practical tools that they can use in everyday situations.
This was incredibly useful training. It provided practical tips and even practice for how to have difficult conversations about suicide. I walked away feeling much more comfortable about discussing this issue with my teen.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), along with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA), declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health in October 2021, and the crisis remains ongoing," notes Dr. Mithya Lewis-Newby.
She points out that in 2023, almost 40% of high school students were reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness, 18% had experienced major depression, and 10% had attempted suicide. This, in part, prompted the U.S. Surgeon General to issue a health advisory calling on Americans to take action to protect youth mental health. "Suicide is now a leading cause of death ages 10-24," continues Dr. Lewis-Newby. "Today’s youth are growing up in an increasing complex world. One action parents/guardians can take today is to engage in the UW Forefront training to learn skills to identify and support mental health challenges, small and large."
This training provides participants with several valuable tools, beyond suicide prevention skills. These include how to recognize when someone may be struggling, start difficult conversations, listen with greater confidence, and connect people with support when they need it.
Jan Lewis-Newby, a current NWS parent and Trustee, is one of our facilitators. She shared how these skills impacted her own personal experience: "Shortly after receiving Forefront suicide training, I found myself in conversation with a relative who was clearly struggling. I was able to immediately apply the skills and techniques I had learned about how to identify and ask about the risk of suicide, which then led to a deep and meaningful conversation that allowed me to provide much needed support." Reflecting on the longer term impact, she adds, "Most importantly, it empowered me to make sure my loved one was safe and knew they were not alone."
As a parent or caregiver, having tools to assist with difficult conversations is the first step to prevention. For the past decade, we have worked closely with Forefront, leveraging their peer-led model to provide our community with vital tools and resources that empower us to address mental health challenges effectively.
Founded in 2015, Forefront in the Schools is an innovative multi-year program that helps schools across Washington implement a comprehensive approach to youth mental health and suicide prevention. This includes training for teachers, parents/caregivers, counselors and students; crisis planning tools; strengthening links to community supports; and elevating student voices, with an emphasis on social emotional learning and wellbeing.
I have attended nearly all the Forefront Suicide Prevention Training seminars over the past two years and cannot recommend them highly enough. The resources have been invaluable, not only for my own family but also for other parents and even my child’s therapist, who wasn’t fully up to date on current suicide prevention practices.
Not only can this training help you feel more prepared to talk with your own child about difficult topics—it can also help you know what to say or do when someone else that you care about (one of your child’s friends, a relative, or a friend) is going through a challenging time.
Northwest hosts Forefront Suicide Prevention Training twice each school year: in the fall and in the spring. We encourage you to sign up today for the upcoming Forefront training on Wednesday, November 4.