ABOUT US

Teen Suicide Prevention Society

At the Teen Suicide Prevention Society, we know that when it comes to suicide, silence isn’t golden, it’s deadly. Our mission is to help you break the silence in ways that prevent the need for suicide intervention programs.

We’re here because on August 3, 2019, my middle daughter Stephanie gave a 7-minute “Message That Matters” and shared that over 3,000 teens attempt to take their own lives every day. AND that’s just in the US.

Stephanie continued her talk by sharing the story of her first attempt 23 years before, when she was only 14.

I’d lived through it with her, but outside of her getting professional help, we never really talked about it. I didn’t want to, I was too afraid of putting the idea back in her head. Have you ever worried about that?

Here’s good news, it’s a myth. You can’t put the idea in someone’s head without them having some thoughts already there for the idea to stick to.

When Stephanie continued her talk, saying that she still struggles with suicidal thoughts, I realized that the silence caused by the “myth” could have cost me my daughter. I got lucky; Stephanie is still alive.

Since COVID-19, teen suicide rates are on the rise. There’s a growing need for more and more intervention programs for those struggling with depression, anxiety, ptsd, and suicidal thinking.

Unfortunately, the entrance requirement for these programs is very steep. Intervention-focused programs only kick in after an attempt, a mental health diagnosis, or an “at-risk” determination.

There are more and more peer-to-peer intervention programs being rolled out in schools
across the country. As grateful as we are for them, we’ve learned that more often than we like to admit, the first sign that a kid’s in trouble is often an attempt.

That’s why we’ve focused on getting mental wellness and emotional resilience tools into the hands of teens before we think they need them. . . before they are struggling.

We provide scripts and guides for having the “Talks that Save Lives” so that no one needs to worry about what to say.

Our vision is 20,000 “Talks that Save Lives” happening in schools, communities, and homes by the end of 2025 because we never want you to say, and we never want to hear again, the saddest five words in the English language:

“We didn’t see it coming.”

In service to our mission to end the need for suicide intervention programs, we give keynotes and train “advocates for living.”

Book us to help save lives in your community and organizations.

Jackie Simmons
Director and co-founder of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society

Jackie Simmons R

Jackie Simmons

Director

Jackie Simmons is the mother of three grown girls, grandmother of four teenage boys, and the director of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society. On her journey she spoke on a TEDx stage, wrote 8 international number one best-selling books, hosted a radio show and podcast, and became a Chancellor Mentor with GIVERS University.

Jackie believes in tackling complex and challenging topics and making sense out of them. When you work with Jackie, she’s going to offer you some different thought processes. Jackie always shares alternatives to get you unstuck, find out what’s true and what’s not true – spot the elephant in the room – so that you can have what you want and what you deserve. Jackie believes you deserve to experience life, and yourself, as amazing every day. As the director of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society, Jackie knows life doesn’t always give us times to experience ourselves as amazing. Sometimes, life hands us the opposite.

On April 1, 2020, Jackie and her daughters co-founded the non-profit, Teen Suicide Prevention Society and launched the mission to break the silence on suicide. The mission has grown to include three books, two pure-prevention programs, and "The Talk That Saves Lives" which Jackie presented at TEDx TenayaPaseo in Las Vegas.

Please join the movement to end suicide by downloading the free guide for the talk that saves lives. Then have “The Talk” with a loved one. You never know whose heart you’ll touch or whose life you’ll save.

Meet Jackie
Stephanie Headshot 2022

Stephanie Ashton

Community Outreach Coordinator

Stephanie is a co-founder of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society. She lives a fulfilling and joyful life in Sarasota, FL with her husband Terry and their dog Sunshine. Stephanie regularly speaks to groups about not quitting on yourself. She's been a mental health warrior and a chronic illness warrior for more than 27 years. Friends have lovingly nicknamed her "Sassy" for her perspective on life.

Meet Stephanie
Jamie

Jamie Newton

Co-Founder

Jamie believes in doing what makes your heart sing. Her goal is to restore your faith in humanity.

As a single mom of three teenage boys, she has "been there and done that." Yet she still finds ways to make friends and family smile.

Jamie helps saves lives with her work at the American Red Cross in Salem, VA

Meet Jamie
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Katie Miller

Assistant Director

Katie Miller believes that by reprogramming our emotional responses, we can consciously trigger positive emotional states rather than falling prey to negative emotional triggers. 

Katie's primary mission is to help her clients find their purpose and take control of their "emotional remote controls". 

In addition to her work as a Trauma Resolution Guide, Katie is deeply involved in the suicide prevention efforts of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society. 

Alongside her family, Katie strives to put suicide intervention programs out of business by equipping individuals with the skills and resources they need to overcome personal struggles and nurture positive mental states. 

Katie is a beacon of hope and transformation in the lives she touches.

Meet Katie
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