Abstract

This workshop will be given in collaboration with experienced parents and young people: Ed van den Bogaard and his daughter Thiara, Steven Kalkman and his daugther Zoë.
Prof. Haim Omer, founder of this approach and author of a new book about suicide prevention (to be published in 2025), will join us in the panel discussion.

Adolescent suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young persons worldwide. The most common underlying thoughts are feelings of isolation and of ‘being a burden’ to others. Effective interventions, such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT, Linehan), address these destructive thoughts by validating the emotions behind them. At LUMC Curium, centre for child- and adalescent psychiatry (Netherlands), we have integrated elements of DBT with Connecting Authority ®, based on Nonviolent Resistance (NVR, Haim Omer), in a group-program for parents of adolescents with suicidal behavior. Connecting Authority ® and NVR aim to provide parents with hope, strength and clear tools how to find ways to reestablish connection and belonging in the face of threatened or even destroyed relationships. The program helps parents to reduce conflict, to create a support system that fosters emotional regulation and resilience for both parents and children and to address the self-harming and suicidal behavior of their children. Initially, both parents ànd professionals feared the concept of resistance in the context of suicide, but it proved to be the key to change. Reading the “announcement” during the training had a significant impact on stopping suicidal tendencies, which highlights the effectiveness of this method.

The results of the first pilot-study were very promising. Parents indicated that relationships in the family had become closer, there was less struggle and more open communication, more cooperation, difficult topics were discussed and not avoided anymore and there was increased understanding, support and validation. Moreover, there was a clear reduction in self-destructive behaviors. The training gave parents the courage to take a stand against it, which led to young people stopping self-harm and avoiding suicide attempts.

Both in our parentgroups and in this workshop, participants have the opportunity to engage in conversations with experienced parents and young people who have firsthand experience in overcoming self-harming and suicidal behavior. They are living proof that there is always hope, which brings immense healing power. The workshop centers around the following core themes: courage, trust, connection, validation, support and hope. And off course we will also talk about both the fear ànd the power of ‘resistance’ and the courage that is needed: our greatest challenge is in what we fear the most.

Through open dialogue and shared experiences participants will leave equipped with practical tools to become an anchor of hope in the lives of young people.

We will also have a panel discussion, based on NVR themes and statements, in which the audience can interact with a panel of experienced parents and youth and with Kathelijne van Dongen. We are very glad that prof. Haim Omer, who will publish a book about suicide prevention in 2025, will also contribute to this panel with his broad experience with and view on suicide prevention.

In this workshop we all hope to inspire participants by showing that the combination of love and resistance strengthens the connection between parents and their children and creates a foundation for hope and healing.