CFGC Lunch & Learn

From left: Michelle Fitzenhagen, Board President; Miki Johnston, Board Member; Mersina Pappas Stubbs, Board Vice President; Terry Bentley Hill, Dallas Attorney, Survivor of Suicide, Mental Health Advocate, and Speaker; Judge Lisa Green, Board Member

Press Release

Dallas, TX – It was a literal full house at Child & Family Guidance Center’s lunch + learn Wednesday. The event was hosted at the home of Michelle and Lex Fitzenhagen, where guests gathered to hear a presentation on suicide prevention and intervention, led by Dallas attorney and mental health advocate, Terry Bentley Hill.

Terry has made it her mission to help relieve the social stigma of mental illness and promote the solutions available for treatment. Ms. Hill’s passion for her work stems from her own encounters with mental health issues. She is a Survivor who has lost both her husband and daughter to depression, and her goal is to get people to “Stop Minding [their] Own Business.”

“We have 140 people in this country who die of suicide every single day. That is the equivalent of a 737 jet crashing every single day. If that were happening, would we panic? Would we do something about it? Yes… we know we would because two 737 jets crashed outside of this country, and we grounded every single one of them,” says Terry Bentley Hill.

Terry encouraged all in attendance to “Stop Minding [their] Own Business’” and shared three key steps to follow when noticing someone, anyone, is showing signs that they are not okay. She encouraged guests to ask the following:

1. “Are you okay?”
2. “Do you feel like dying?”
3. “Do you have a plan?”

Those are the questions we can and should all be asking to help those around us who may be suffering. Those are the questions that can help save lives.

Suicide is the number one most preventable death in this country. It’s time to “Stop Minding [our] Own Business” and start having these conversations.

For more information on Child & Family Guidance Center and for links to additional resources, visit www.childrenandfamilies.org.

About Child & Family Guidance Center
Child & Family Guidance Center (CFGC) has been dedicated to providing quality mental health services to children, adults, and families since 1896. CFGC strives to treat the whole person with individualized treatment planning and comprehensive care options. Our ultimate goal is to empower individuals, strengthen families and communities, and to provide those we serve with the skills and resources necessary to take control of their mental health and emotional well-being.

Our mission is to provide quality, accessible mental health services to strengthen children, families, and communities.

At Child & Family Guidance Center, no one is turned away due to inability to pay.

For more information on Child & Family Guidance Center or to make a contribution to help support those in need, visit www.childrenandfamilies.org.