Beau Pinkham joins #SPSM to chat about the ethical, practical, and liability implications of expressions of suicidality via social media, 10/22/17, 9pCT.

When it comes to crisis work, the decision about whether or not to alert law enforcement and send rescue to people who are reporting imminent risk of suicide has long been controversial. Even before the era of social media there has been debate among crisis center experts about whether or not a caller’s anonymity should be kept, or if law enforcement should be notified if a caller is assessed to be imminent risk of suicide. While, increasingly in recent years, law enforcement is usually notified if someone initiates actions to harm themselves or die, when it comes to social media notifications, there are new considerations. And, and both traditional and new stakeholders considering them.

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Beau Pinkham has been with The Crisis Center since 2002, first serving as a volunteer in the Crisis Intervention program before taking on duties as its coordinator. Now as Director of Crisis Intervention Services, Beau oversees the growth and sustainability of The Crisis Center’s mission locally, regionally, and nationally.  Beau is an Iowa City original and holds three degrees from the University of Iowa in Business Marketing, Business Management, and German. He currently serves on the Contact USA board of directors, an agency that accredits crisis centers across the country, and has spoken on panels regarding pushing crisis/suicide prevention and intervention into new and under-served online and tech-focused spaces.