92 minutes. The approximate length of an exchange between two people on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2005, one standing on one side of the railing, another – outside, ready to jump. Kevin Berthia and Kevin Briggs will come together again at this FST5 webinar. Join us for an exhilarating discussion about finding hope, the impact of listening, and learning the power of active human- to-human interaction.
Participants:
Kevin Berthia
Kevin Berthia is a suicide survivor and prevention advocate. Kevin was born with genetic major depression disorder. In 2005, at the age of 22, Kevin attempted to take his own life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. Eight years after his attempt Kevin was reunited with the officer who talked him back to safety. Since then, Kevin’s story of HOPE has touched a diverse group of audiences all around the world. Kevin has had the opportunity to share his story with several magazine outlets along with local and national news stations. Kevin’s story was also featured on the Steve Harvey Show. The photo of him standing on the chord was front page of the San Francisco Chronicle and placed on the 75 most iconic photos of the 21st Century.
Kevin Briggs
An inspiring mental health and suicide prevention speaker with over 20 years of experience in crisis management and suicide prevention, trained negotiator, mental health advocate, author of the book “Guardian of the Golden Gate”. Kevin Briggs’s TED talk video has been viewed more than 5,2 million times. Briggs, a retired California Highway Patrol Sergeant, spent many years patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge, and encouraged several hundreds of individuals to not end their life. Today he is dedicating his life to promoting mental health awareness across the globe through his organization Pivotal Points.
Moderators:
Cobey Taylor
Cobey Taylor is a career firefighter with Peninsula Township Fire Department out of Grand Traverse County. He is the founding president of the Northwest Michigan Peer Network where he helps spread the awareness of the stigma with mental health within the first responder community. Cobey is a member of the Michigan Professional Fire Fighter’s Union where he is on the behavioral health committee and is a member of the Michigan Crisis Response Association. Cobey’s main goal is to help Michigan lead the way in the fight against the stigma of first responder mental health, and to reduce the number of first responder suicides.
Manisha Leary
LMSW, Frontline Strong Together (FST5) Program Manager, Clinical Therapist Wayne Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Services