Tag Archives: keynote

Happiness, Suicide Assessment and Intervention

Eudaimonic Happiness is Coming

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This is a fact-focused post. I’d like to be verbally clever, but I’d like even more to get you all this information on what’s happening at the Phyllis J. Washington Center for the Advancement of Positive Education.

We’re building our staff, our website, and plans for this fall. You may want some or all of the following on your calendar. . .or to share them with people whom you think would be interested.

A New University of Montana Course

Kim Parrow and Tammy Tolleson-Knee developed a syllabus for a EDU 291 course called, The Psychology of Happiness. This is a late-start, face-to-face course that begins the week of September 15. If you’re a UM student or know one who might want to experience a positive psych course, here’s the flyer:

EDU 291 Flyer Fall 2025Download

Dylan Wright and Kim Parrow will be taking the lead on the fall semester Happiness for Educators (HFE) course. Data attesting to the value of this course continue to pour in. With 150+ enrolled this summer, we’ve now had well over 400 Montana educators complete the course. A big thanks to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for supporting Montana educators. And Go Falcons! Here’s a flyer for the HFE course:

Happiness for Educators_Fall 2025 Flyer with QRDownload

Dylan and Tammy are also working with local schools to infuse principles of positive education as methods to improve educator well-being. They’re starting with the Potomac School District. . . and have named their approach, “The Potomac Model.” Thanks to Emily Sallee, the shiny new Potomac superintendent for collaborating with us. If your school district would like to collaborate with us, Dylan Wright is your best contact: dylan.wright@mso.umt.edu

As for myself, I’ve got a few gigs coming up as well. Below are the ones I’m thinking about today!

September 16 – Youth Summit Keynote in Kalispell – 9:15-10am – Flathead Valley Community College – Thanks to the Nate Chute Foundation for organizing this.

  • The Bad News Brain: Why It Feels So Hard and What You Can Do

Maintaining positive mental health is naturally difficult—for nearly everyone. The good news is that if you struggle with mental health, you’re not alone. The bad news is that your brain often likes to focus on bad news, bad moods, and bad social interactions. The other good news is that after this presentation, you will know several ways your brain tries to trick you into feeling worse. You will also know several strategies for dealing with your pesky bad-news-brain.

September 25 – Presentation at the State CASA Conference in Butte – 11am-12:30pm – Finlen Hotel. Thanks to the Montana State CASA people for their support of Montana children.

  • Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Children’s Mental Health and Happiness

After 40+ years as a mental health professional, John Sommers-Flanagan has discovered an array of myths that inadvertently contribute to ever-rising mental health problems in children and teenagers. In this presentation for Montana CASA, we will go on a rollercoaster ride through three principles of positive psychology and 10 (or maybe 11) misconceptions about mental health and happiness that will knock your socks off (not literally). And perhaps, as we engage in the learning process together, you may be inspired to think a little differently about how to grow positive mental health and happiness in youth.

September 27 – Presentation on Happiness in Absarokee, MT – 2-5pm – Cobblestone School. Thanks to the Cobblestone Preservation Committee for sponsoring this event.

  • Tools for Living Your Best Life: A Happiness Primer

October 9 – Grand Rounds presentation on Strengths-Based Suicide, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, AR – 4pm

October 10 – Full-day workshop on Strengths-Based Suicide for the Arkansas Psychological Association in Little Rock, AR – 8:30am-4pm – Holiday Inn Presidential. Thanks to Dr. Margaret Rutherford, President of the Arkansas Psychological Association for making these presentations happen.

  • Integrating Strengths-Based and Traditional (Medical Model) Approaches to Suicide Assessment and Treatment

Traditional suicide assessment tends to be a top-down information-gathering process wherein healthcare or prevention professionals use questionnaires and clinical interviews to determine patient or client suicide risk. This approach may not be the best fit for clients who are suicidal, who have experienced historical trauma, or are experiencing current oppression or marginalization. In this presentation, John Sommers-Flanagan will review principles of a strengths-based approach to suicide prevention, assessment, and treatment. He will also discuss how to be more sensitive, empowering, collaborative, and how to leverage individual and cultural strengths when working with people who are potentially suicidal. You will learn at least five practical strengths-based strategies for initiating conversations about suicide, conducting culturally-sensitive assessments, and implementing suicide interventions.

October 11 — Round Table presentation with Tammy Tolleson-Knee and Umit Arslan at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision conference in Philly.

  • Shifting from Risk-Focused to Resilience-Oriented Approaches in Youth Mental Health Assessments

Traditional suicide assessments often focus on pathology and risk, overlooking client strengths and resilience. Effective prevention goes beyond simply identifying suicidal thoughts—it involves fostering awareness, developing coping skills, and strengthening a person’s belief in their ability to navigate challenges. This session examines strengths-based suicide assessment from three perspectives: (1) distinguishing scientific research from myths and implementing evidence-based steps, (2) recognizing countertransference as a barrier to strengths-based suicide intervention and developing effective coping strategies, and (3) evaluating how strengths-based approaches can promote a holistic, resilience-oriented approach to youth mental health. Participants will engage in discussions, case vignettes, and interactive learning activities, gaining practical applications for counselor education and supervision.

October 29 – Keynote for Montana Healthcare Foundation in Bozeman – 10:05-10:55am – Strand Union Building, Montana State University. Thanks to the fabulous staff of the Montana Healthcare Foundation for organizing this amazing event.

  • The Bad News Brain: Why We Must Force Ourselves to Embrace Well-Being and Positivity

The human brain is naturally interested in bad news. Several deep psychological truths make this so. In this keynote speech, we will focus on what makes it so hard to maintain a positive focus. Then, we will force ourselves to orient toward the positive—even if only briefly—to explore practical ways we can grow well-being in Montana together.

October 29 – Breakout Workshop for Montana Healthcare Foundation in Bozeman – 2-3:50pm – Strand Union Building, Montana State University.

  • Evidence-Based Strategies for Integrating Strengths-Based Approaches into Mental Health Care

Beginning with a cognitive-behavioral model of mood management, this breakout workshop will focus on evidence-based strategies that can complement traditional medical model approaches to mental health care. Evidence-based strategies will include: (a) witnessing inspiration, (b) therapeutic writing, (c) savoring, and more. Discussion and reflection will include how to collaboratively leverage individual, family, community, and cultural strengths when providing mental health support.

November 12-13 – 1 credit college course for Blackfeet Community College in Browning, MT – 8am-4:30pm (two days) at BCC. Thanks to Charlie Speicher WBH school counselor and founder of the Firekeeper Alliance for creating this opportunity.

  • Strengths-Based Suicide Assessment and Interventions in Schools

Traditional suicide assessments tend to be top-down information-gathering procedures wherein healthcare, school, or prevention professionals use questionnaires and clinical interviews to determine suicide risk. This approach may not be the best fit for schools, students, youth who are suicidal, or people who have experienced historical trauma, or are experiencing current oppression or marginalization. In this course, John Sommers-Flanagan and Tamara Tolleson-Knee will review principles of a strengths-based approach to suicide prevention, assessment, and interventions. They will share background research and historical practice, including the growing rationale for using strengths-based approaches with people who are feeling vulnerable. This course will include counseling and assessment demonstrations, video clips, and opportunities for participants to practice specific strengths-based suicide assessment and intervention strategies. In particular, there will be discussions about how to leverage individual, family, community, and cultural strengths when working with students who may be suicidal. Participants will learn numerous strengths-based strategies for initiating conversations about suicide, conducting strengths-based assessments, and implementing suicide interventions.

December 5 – Zoom Lecture for North Carolina State University – 5:30-7pm EST. Thanks to Dr. Angel Dowden for organizing this presentation.

  • Effective Approaches to Suicide Intervention and Prevention in Schools

Traditional suicide assessments tend to be top-down information-gathering procedures wherein healthcare, school, or prevention professionals use questionnaires and clinical interviews to determine suicide risk. This approach may not be the best fit for schools, students, youth who are suicidal, or people who have experienced historical trauma, or are experiencing current oppression or marginalization. In this Zoom workshop, John Sommers-Flanagan will review principles of a strengths-based approach to suicide prevention, assessment, and interventions. This workshop will include at least one assessment demonstration, a video clip, and brief opportunities for participants to practice specific strengths-based suicide assessment and intervention strategies. The overall focus is on how to leverage individual, family, community, and cultural strengths when working with students who may be suicidal.

If you’ve read this far, I am completely gob-smacked. Have a fabulous day!

Parenting, Personal Reflections

The Missoula CASA Keynote

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There are a number of problems associated with being asked to do a keynote speech for a local non-profit. Maybe this is all just me, but the pressure feels very big. Keynotes are supposed to be informative and inspiring and funny. Right? Well, to be perfectly honest, although I love to think of myself as able to be informative, inspiring, and funny, to actually have expectations to be informative, inspiring, and funny is miserable. That might be why, 15 minutes before stepping up to the microphone at the Doubletree banquet room in Missoula, I had a case of the complete BLANK MIND. I seriously had no idea what I had planned to say. Two days before the event I was sure I could memorize my 25 minute speech. Now, I looked at my notebook and words were there, but they seemed stupid and boring and not funny and I couldn’t help but wonder, “Who wrote this crap?” I suppose that’s an example of an unfriendly dissociation.

To top all that off, every speaker who offered introductions and who spoke before me was smooth and articulate . . . and I had decided to drink a cup of herbal tea which led to my bladder was telling me that I HAD to get to the bathroom right away. But I wasn’t sure how long I had before being called up as the highly acclaimed keynote speaker whose name was in big bold letters on the program. Mostly, I felt like crawling under the Crowley and Fleck sponsored keynote table or escaping to the bathroom. Neither of these options seemed realistic.

So I told my bladder to wait its turn and listened to Eden Atwood sing along with a group of fabulously talented and cute young girls. A man at the front table started crying. That’s what happens when you’re at an event celebrating and funding an organization that works with abused and neglected children. It was around then that Eden Atwood and her group (called the MOB) distracted me from my anxiety, calmed me out of my dissociative episode, and inspired me to go ahead and sing and dance around the stage as part of the ending of my keynote.

Just in case you missed it, the whole darn event was awesome. The best part was to be right in the middle of the generosity of so many people who help make Missoula a better and healthier and safer place.

And just in case you’re interested, I managed to deliver most my planned speech and people laughed and afterward offered big compliments. But I’m not certain how well I stuck to the script because at some point I remember saying “Of course, I’m lying about that” which I followed with, “But I understand that lying is popular right now.” I also recall, after one particular non-sequitur, saying something about the fact that because I was a university professor, I could say whatever I wanted and didn’t really have to make any logical sense. None of these comments were in the transcript to my speech. Obviously, I went way off script.

It might be surprising, but my plan to start singing and dancing actually was in the script. However, partway through the song my blank mind returned and I forgot the lyrics. The good news is that I’m fairly sure that everyone, including me, was greatly relieved when I stopped singing.

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Parenting, Personal Reflections

Sweating my Way through Charlotte, North Carolina

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As my sister likes to say, “we’ve got excellent pores in our family.” By “excellent” she means to say that our pores open up and leak like the Titanic. One time, way back when I was teaching at the University of Portland, I didn’t let enough time pass between playing noon-time basketball and lecturing in an Introductory Psychology class and ended up sweating so much that my glasses fogged up.

And so you can imagine how much my pores enjoyed being in Charlotte, NC in August.

When I showed up at the Ice Cream Social on Tuesday evening I was sweating so much that I was sure everyone was thinking, “Great. It’s the night before he’s scheduled to speak and our keynote for Wednesday morning is ALREADY having a panic attack.” [It’s funny how self-consciousness about something like sweating can suddenly turn on my psychic powers, because I’m pretty sure I was able to accurately read everyone’s mind at that Ice Cream Social.] But really, it wasn’t that terrible because I only had to retreat to my room to change my shirt once during the 20 minutes I spent at the Ice Cream Social.

Note to self: When visiting high humidity regions, always pack clothing that doesn’t accentuate my excellent sweating ability of my pores.

But the real point of this blog post isn’t my personal struggle with perspiration—despite the fact that writing about my sweating is, I’m sure, intrinsically interesting as well as cathartic and desensitizing. The real point is to do some flat out bragging about the Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CIS-NC) programs.

If you don’t know about the Communities in Schools organization, you should. In North Carolina this organization includes an amazing staff with boundless positive energy that they direct toward dropout prevention. If you click on the link to their organization you’ll find a cool website with excellent information http://www.cisnc.org/. Here’s their mission statement:

The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. We are part of the national Communities In Schools network, which is the leading dropout prevention organization in the country, and the only such organization that is proven to decrease the dropout rate and increase on-time graduation rates.

I have to admit that before I arrived in Charlotte, I was skeptical about their claims of being “the only organization proven to decrease the dropout rate and increase on-time graduation rates.” This skepticism came from two sources: (1) decreasing drop-out rates is just extremely difficult for everyone, and (2) I’m skeptical about everything. But, after being with the ABSOLUTELY AMAZING administration and staff of CIS-NC for only a few hours, it was clear to me how and why they’re able to help students succeed. Here are a few things I learned.

  • Not only is the staff positive, energetic, and funny, they’re also smart, savvy, and fully dedicated to improving the lives of young people.
  • They utilize a rational balance of evidence-based approaches in combination with approaches that are designed to meet the unique needs of individual schools, staff, students, and settings.
  • They operate using the “5 Basics of Communities in Schools.” These common sense AND evidence-based principles include:
  1. A one-on-one relationship with a caring adult.
  2. A safe place to learn and grow.
  3. A healthy start and a healthy future.
  4. A marketable skill to use upon graduation.
  5. A chance to give back to peers and community.

In addition to all that, I learned that their staff is sensitive, supportive, and compassionate. After all, when I delivered the keynote, they nodded and smiled (showing their listening skills), laughed at all of my jokes at exactly the right time (laughing with special vigor when I did my exorcist voice), and gave me lots of positive feedback for the rest of the morning.

Now it’s up to me to determine if they were just being especially kind to their sweaty keynote speaker or whether they really enjoyed the presentations. I’m hoping for the latter.