Anne Moss Rogers - Emotionally Naked: A Teachers Guide to Preventing Suicide and Recognizing Students at Risk

1. Preface
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 5
4. Chapter 6
5. Chapter 7
6. Chapter 9

Teachers play a central role in educating our youth but also serve as mentors and supporters. They are uniquely positioned to recognize children who are struggling emotionally. This excellent book provides a priceless resource in helping them to do this effectively and successfully. Every teacher needs to read and study this book.

Victor Schwartz, MD, Former CMO of The JED Foundation, Founder of MindStrategies Advisors, Clinical Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine

Rogers and O'Brien have created a book that brings out the heart and soul of suicide prevention. Reading Emotionally Naked is like having a conversation with the smartest person you know. Policy makers, administrators, educators, and parents will walk away hopeful, inspired, and better equipped to address suicide in schools

Jonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSW, President, American Association of Suicidology, Associate Professor, Loyola University Chicago, School of Social Work

Students of teachers who read this book are fortunate. It is filled with creative and feasible ways teachers can nurture the mental wellness of students and provides concrete and doable suggestions for asking directly about suicide, responding meaningfully, and shepherding classes compassionately after the death of a peer. It is an amazingly practical, accessible, and thoughtful resource.

Julie Goldstein Grumet, PhD, Director, Zero Suicide Institute, Education Development Center

As suicide is the second leading cause of death for our young people, Emotionally Naked is a must-read for all who care for the well-being of our children. Sound information, practical advice, superb collection of resources, and written with compassion. We all have a role in suicide prevention and this book focusing on our youth is as informative as it gets.

Jerry Reed, PhD, MSW, Senior Vice President for Practice Leadership, Education Development Center

ANNE MOSS ROGERS
AND KIMBERLY H. MCMANAMA
O'BRIEN PhD, LICSW

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is Available:

ISBN 9781119758303 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781119758297 (ePDF)
ISBN 9781119764823 (ePub)

Cover Design: Paul McCarthy
Cover Art: Getty Images | A. Martin UW Photography

Anne Moss Rogers: To Randy, Richard, and my Emotionally Naked tribe, whose love and support helped keep that pilot light of hope burning after my youngest son Charles's suicide.

Kim O'Brien: To the loves of my lifeKevin, Taylor, Mac, Kelly, and Doug. You are the reason my life is full of purpose, love, and happiness.

This book tackles a tough topic and contains some emotional content. Most chapters that mention suicide method have a trigger warning. Teachers and other educators suffer from mental illness and have thoughts of suicide, too. So if you are struggling with mental illness and/or thoughts of suicide and if this is triggering, please stop or take breaks. There are a few instances where method is mentioned briefly in a story but there are no graphic details.

Your life is important. If you do experience thoughts of suicide, reach out to the prevention lifeline, a crisis text line, a trusted adult friend, a counselor, or find a support group.

There is only one you. If you left us, we'd be robbed of your potential, all your gifts, and what you could contribute to suicide prevention.

If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, please reach out.

US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (By July 26, 2022, it will be simplified to the 3-digit crisis number 988.)

US and Canada Crisis Text Line: Text help to 741-741

US Trevor Project Crisis line for LGBTQ Youth: 1-866-488-7386

US Trevor Project Crisis text line for LGBTQ Youth 678-678

US Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860

Canada 1-833-456-4566

United Kingdom 116 123

Australia 13 11 14

For other countries: Search suicide crisis lines

UK: text 85258 | Ireland: text 50808

Anne Moss Rogers is an emotionally naked TEDx storyteller, the 2019 YWCA Pat Asch Fellow for social justice, NAMI Virginia board member, and author of the award-winning book Diary of a Broken Mind. Despite her family's best efforts, Anne Moss's 20-year-old son, Charles, died by suicide June 5, 2015, after many years of struggle with anxiety, depression, and ultimately addiction. She chronicled her family's tragedy in a newspaper article that went viral and her blog, Emotionally Naked, has had millions of visitors. After receiving a message from a young lady who wrote that one of her articles saved her life, she sold her digital marketing business and followed her purpose of motivational speaking on the subjects of suicide, substance misuse, coping strategies, and grief. Originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in journalism, she currently lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, Randy. Her surviving son, Richard, works in Los Angeles as a screenwriter and filmmaker.