Speaker

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Need an engaging, inspirational, credible, and pragmatic speaker for your next suicide prevention or mental health event? Book Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas.

Her experience as a psychologist, mental health advocate, and person with lived experience gives her many perspectives and a pragmatic approach that both inspire audiences and move their feet to action.

Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas is an internationally-recognized leader and in-demand speaker on topics of resilience, mental health, and suicide prevention. Working directly with communities, companies, professional organizations, and higher education institutions, she inspires, educates, and successfully challenges leaders to develop caring cultures that help people thrive.

She uses the power of stories, science, and humor (just enough!) to engage her audiences and inspire a passion for saving lives and promoting well-being.

AWARDS

  • Survivor of the Year from the American Association of Suicidology

  • Invisible Disabilities Association Impact Honors Award

  • Alumni Master Scholar from the University of Denver

  • Farbarow Award from the International Association for Suicide Prevention

  • Career Achievement Alumni Award from the University of

  • Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology

Leadership

  • Executive Board of Directors, American Association of Suicidology (elected positions, three terms)

  • Chair, Workplace Special Interest Group, International Association of Suicide Prevention

  • Chair, Lived Experience Committee, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

  • President, United Suicide Survivors International

  • Board President, Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado

Keynote & Shorter Workshops

Sally designs each of her 45-120 minute presentations to inform and motivate the particular audience she is addressing. Some talks can be extended to half-day or full-day interactive workshops.

  • You Can’t Fix Your Mental Health with Duct Tape: A General Awareness Session on Workplace Mental Health

  • Re-igniting the Fire Within: Mitigating Burnout and Stress

  • Getting Unstuck: 10 Tips for Fighting Depression and Anxiety

  • Eye of the Survivor: The Power of Storytelling in Stigma Reduction

  • Up on a High Wire: Mental Resilience During Tough Times

  • Tsunami of Suicide: Understanding and Supporting People through Grief and Trauma

  • We've Got Your Back: Cultivating a Psychologically Safe Culture at Work

  • Taking a Broader View; Mental Health, Social Justice and Inclusion

  • It's Not What's Wrong with You, It's About What Happened to You; Understanding the Roles of Addictive Behaviors and Trauma Play in Mental Health Challenges

  • Two Darts: Understanding Pain and Suffering and Ways to Manage These Experiences

  • The Intersection of Health Conditions: Pain, TBI and Mental Health

  • Man Up! Innovative Approaches to Men's Mental Health

  • Women in Construction and Mental Health

Longer Workshops & Train-the-Trainer Sessions 

These interactive workshops help participants develop skills and personal plans. They're half-day – multiday events best suited for groups of 10-35 people.

  • Workplace Wellbeing, Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention: How to Develop a Comprehensive and Sustainable Strategy 

  • Eye of the Survivor: Storytelling Retreat for People with Lived Experience

  • VitalCog Train-the-Trainer Certification Course

Keynote address at MATES in Construction Mental Health Conference in Brisbane, Australia

New Programs and Services for the Construction Industry

Construction Industry Brochure

What people are saying:

“Sally is a wonderful person who truly wants to make a difference in the world and has done that by working diligently to keep the suicide prevention movement going forward. She is an awesome speaker who knows how to connect with an audience.”

Michelle Linn-Gust, Past-President, American Association of Suicidology

“Sally’s message is compelling as she effectively blends personal passion with professional expertise.”

Bob VandePol, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Workplace Task Force

“When I heard Sally speak about her work on suicide in construction at IRMI [International Risk Management Institute] I immediately thought of my friend Eric who recently passed away - way too young. Sally and I met and I was taken with her passion for saving the lives of sons and daughters we do not know and she will never meet. There cannot be a more honorable way to live your life.”

TJ Lyons, Corporate Director, Health and Safety (Federal), Gilbane, Inc.

PAST Speaking/Training Events

International Speaking Engagements

  • European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour

  • 2024 International Foundations Conference and Equipment Expo

  • International Association for Suicide Prevention 2023 World Congress, Slovenia

  • International Association for Suicide Prevention World Congress – Bay of Islands, New Zealand |Tokyo, Japan | Montreal, Canada | Oslo, Norway | Beijing, China | Montevideo, Uruguay | Killarney, Ireland

  • European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behavior – Ghent,

    Belgium | Tallinn, Estonia | Rome, Italy

  • Invited Keynote Speaker, Canadian Mental Health Association

    Annual Conference, Ontario

  • Invited Plenary Addresses, 4th Contact International Suicide Prevention Conference: What Works? Titanic Conference Center, Belfast, Northern Ireland

  • Invited keynote address at Ireland’s National Suicide Prevention Conference in Dublin, Ireland

  • Keynote speaker at Inaugural Construction Industry Mental Health Conference. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

  • Keynote speaker at Sunshine Coast workplace forum, “On the Job: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace” Caloundra, Queensland, Australia

  • Keynote speaker at "Shifting the Dial on Suicide Prevention" Noosa, Queensland, Australia

  • Keynote speaker at the Western Australia workplace forum, “Suicide Prevention in the Workplace: Whose Responsibility is It?” Perth, WA, Australia Postvention Training, Joint Defense Base in Alice Springs, AustraliaWorkplace suicide prevention, OzHelp, Canberra, ACT, Australia

  • Invited Plenary EAPA World Conference, Chicago, ILInternational Conference on Stigma, San Francisco, CA

State/College Speaking Engagements

  • Addiction

  • Arizona’s state suicide prevention conference

  • Bowdoin College

  • Colby College

  • Colorado Behavioral Health Council Conference

  • Colorado EMS Conference

  • Colorado State Fire Chief’s Conference

  • Colorado Winter Symposium on Behavioral Health and

  • Georgia State Suicide Prevention Conference

  • HOPE Certification Colorado

  • Idaho State Conference

  • Kentucky Adanta Behavioral Health Conference

  • Kevin's Song, Detroit, MI

  • Lines for Life, Portland, OR

  • Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Conference

  • Mississippi State University

  • Missouri’s Partners in Prevention Conference

  • NAMI Maine State Conference

  • NAMI South Dakota State Conference

  • NAMI Utah State Conference

  • Norcal Carpenters Union VitalCog Training

  • Suicide Prevention of the Inland Northwest (SPIN)

  • Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network’s 10th Anniversary Symposium

  • Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium San Marcos, TX

  • University of Colorado, Boulder

  • UHS, Wyoming

National/Corporate Speaking Engagements

  • ABC (Associated Builder & Contractors)

  • AGC of Colorado - Future Leaders Forum February Event

  • AGC Oregon

  • Allan Myers

  • Alliant Insurance

  • Associated Builders and Contractors VitalCog Training

  • Calling 912: Mental Health & Wellness Symposium

  • Clayco

  • Construction Financial Management Association Annual Conference

  • Dad 2.0 Summit

  • Encore Electric

  • Fire-Rescue International Conference, Denver, Colorado

  • Gilbane

  • Hallen 27th Annual DCA Safety Congress

  • Hensel Phelps

  • Institute for Well-Being in Law

  • International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrator’s Annual Conference

  • International Pilots Peer Conference

  • Invited Speaker: The White House Forum on Men’s Health

  • Keller North America 5/10

  • Keynote speaker at the Active Minds Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

  • Keynote speaker at the American Association of Suicidology - conference in Austin, TX

  • Keynote speaker at the Navy’s Suicide Prevention Conference

  • Keynote Speaker DoD/SAMHSA Suicide Prevention in the Workplace Conference for Veterans

  • Lawley Insurance

  • LendLease Summit on Mental Health, Chicago

  • M.J. Electric

  • MCAA Safety Directors Conference, Jacksonville

  • Memorial Health Conference Event

  • Mental Health American

  • MIC Conference

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness

  • National Council on Behavioral Health

  • National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

  • Office of National Resources Revenue

  • PESI - Psychotherapy Networker Symposium

  • Plenary panel presentation at the 30th Annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education in Orlando, FL

  • Quanta Services

  • Rail Industry Summit on Suicide Prevention, Union Pacific, Omaha

  • Rocky Mountain Health Plans

  • Saunders

  • Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Union national and regional, national and international conferences

  • Society for Human Resource Management New Mexico State Conference

  • Southwest Airlines

  • SpeakUp ReachOut

  • Stand-Down for Mental Health

  • Suicide and Law Enforcement Conference, FBI Academy, Quantico, Virginia

  • Summit Line Construction

  • Sundt

  • Swinerton

  • UA (United Association)

  • United Contractors

  • Volunteers of America

  • Workplace suicide prevention training for the U.S. Department of Energy

  • Wyoming Injury and Violence Prevention Program

Consultation Clients

  • Colorado School of Mines (strategy)

  • Colorado Depression Center (training)

  • Denver Fire Department (training)

  • Heathy Men Michigan (research SME)

  • IRMI (International Risk Management, Inc) (writing)

  • National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (training)

  • RK Construction (strategy)

  • State of Oklahoma (training)

Ted-Style Talk on how suicide prevention is a social justice issue.

Acceptance speech at Invisible Disabilities Award Banquet for receiving the "Impact Honors" Award.