Cultural Considerations in Youth Suicide Prevention

NASW-WA Live Webinar
October 23, 2026, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, PST
via Zoom

3 CE Credits 

Presented by Crystal Bennett, LMSW

Register Now: https://tinyurl.com/y6an9pnb

Price: $75/NASW Members, $120/Non-Members

Webinar Description:
Over the past several years the rates of suicide for Hispanic, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander youth have seen significant increases, while the rate of suicide amongst White youth has decreased. Additionally, the risk of suicide among 2SLGBTQIA+ youth is three times that of their heterosexual and cisgender peers. (Chu, J., O’Neill, S.E., Ng, J.F., Khoury, O. (2022). The Cultural Theory and Model of Suicide for Youth.)

Using the Cultural Theory and Model of Suicide for Youth participants will explore the role of culture as a risk factor as well as a protective factor. We will explore strategies to break down barriers, increase cultural humility among providers, and apply culturally responsive strategies in suicide prevention, specifically when working with 2SLGBTQIA+ and youth of color.

Objectives:

• Evaluate the impact of structural oppression and systemic racism on help seeking
• Increase awareness of the Multiple Minority Stress Model and explore strategies to improve cultural humility
• Identify cultural responsiveness strategies to increase protective factors for marginalized and minoritized youth

About the presenter:
Crystal Bennett, LMSW, is an educator, an advocate, a survivor, and a self-proclaimed thriver! For the past 25 years, she has been driven by her personal experiences of trauma to elevate and amplify the voices of individuals and communities in order to promote healing and opportunities to move from surviving to thriving. 

Crystal has demonstrated a passion in sharing her experiences in order to help individuals heal from their personal traumas and work alongside professionals to create trauma-informed, culturally inclusive, and person-centered spaces. Her experiences include advocacy within the child welfare system, oversight of child and youth programs, crisis hotline response, delivery of community-based mental health services, and implementing trauma-informed strategies and programs for school districts. She has been called upon to provide training, coaching, and consultation across the nation in the subject areas of Human Trafficking, Suicide Prevention, Motivational Interviewing, Child Trauma & Maltreatment, and Racial Trauma. She is a fierce advocate for social justice and leads courageously to dismantle oppressive systems and create equitable and just services, policies, and programs.