To recognize Suicide Awareness Month, we are running a series of conversations about suicide prevention, postvention. and survival. For this episode ,Dr. Steven Karaiskos of Hawken School shares how developing Social and Emotional competencies in young people is an effective approach to preventing suicide, what the research tells us about the importance of belonging when it comes to suicide prevention and what educators can do in the aftermath of a suicide to support the young people around them.
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Dr. Karaiskos shared the following resources with us:
Steven Karaiskos is a veteran educator and emotion scientist with experience in both independent and public schools supporting and working with learners of all ages. With 20 years of experience in education, Steven’s breadth and depth of knowledge was built through active roles in district leadership, school administration, teaching Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten and teaching adult learners. He has trained and mentored educators in reading, behavior management, classroom management and the support of students with learning differences.
Before becoming an educator, Steven was in leadership at Starbucks Corporate. Steven has a B.A. in English, B.S. in Education, a Masters in Psychology and a PhD in Psychology with a research focus on positive psychological approaches in response to suicidal ideation. Steven has led professional development opportunities nationwide to provide learning and support for parents, educators, and students on topics such as stress & anxiety, social & emotional development, academic growth, learning differences, positive psychological approaches, gender diversity, and LGBTQ+ topics. He is a passionate activist in suicide intervention and prevention providing suicide awareness workshops for students, schools, and organizations across the country. Steven also has a personal and professional passion for suicide postvention grief and loss support through the development and implementation of coping and resiliency programming with organizations such as Camp Kita and Coping after Suicide.
Steven is currently the SEL Coordinator with the Learning Enhancement Team at a Hawken School supporting the wellness of faculty, parents, and students. He is also a professor at Cleveland State University teaching undergraduate courses in research design and personality psychology. Steven is trained in research-based programs for schools such as Responsive Classroom and RULER from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. A writer and a flaneur, Steven lives in in Cleveland, Ohio.