Content warning: This story contains details about sensitive topics surrounding mental health. If you are experiencing thoughts about suicide, there are resources at BU that can help.
You can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or +1 (800) 273-TALK (8255).
Samaritans, a nonprofit providing suicide prevention services throughout Massachusetts, held a training on supporting high-risk populations at the Massachusetts Statehouse Tuesday.
The training focused on suicide prevention for immigrants and youth. Speakers explained common risk factors and how to navigate conversations with those who are struggling.
Kacy Maitland, Samaritans’ chief clinical officer, and Kiara Hernandez, Samaritans’ manager of quality planning and assurance, led the training. Maitland said Samaritans uses the befriending technique, which involves reflections, validations and open-ended questions, to speak with those in mental health crises.
“Sometimes when we’re listening to people when they’re struggling the most, simply just listening, actively listening, does the trick,” Maitland said.
Samaritans operates centers in Boston and other towns in Massachusetts that receive calls through the national suicide hotline. They also operate a peer-to-peer mental health text line for youth called Hey Sam, where people who are 24-years-old or younger can connect with a trained volunteer who is 15 to 24-years-old.
At the training, Samaritans requested $2 million in funding from the Massachusetts fiscal year 2027 budget to support their services. Currently, Samaritan is set to receive $1 million from the budget.
Samaritans CEO and President Kathy Marchi spoke at the beginning of the training. She said last year, funding allowed the organization to offer four additional support groups for survivors of suicide attempts to meet the demand of a waitlist of over 100 people.
“We know that nonprofits like ours can’t rely on federal funding like they have in the past,” Marchi said. “We feel very fortunate to be in a state that values mental health services and to work with legislators who support our life saving work.”
Hernandez said mental health conditions including depression, anxiety and PTSD are prevalent among refugees and migrants, which put them at a higher risk for suicide.
“We know suicide is complex,” she said. “There’s so many factors that come into play, and there’s considerations within identities and communities specifically.”
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 34 in the United States, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Hernandez said this is often a result of social isolation, high online engagement, school stress and pressure to meet high expectations.
Hey Sam is the only peer-to-peer text line for youth in Massachusetts, according to Marchi. Since its inception in 2022, Hey Sam has hosted more than 12,000 text conversations, she said.
Campbell Parish, Samaritans’ marketing and communications coordinator, worked as a resident assistant at Emerson College for three years. In that role, Parish said she frequently saw peers who were struggling with mental health and suicidality, but were afraid to speak up.
“My role now has kind of transitioned more into the social media aspect … helping destigmatize people talking about mental health or having a bad day,” Parish said. “You can text or call Hey Sam or 988, you don’t have to be suicidal. Reach out to us. We’re peers that care, who want to listen.”
Special Events Coordinator Brenna Lorenzen said she became involved with Samaritans after her college roommate attempted suicide.
Lorenzen graduated from Ithaca College in 2024 where she played on the soccer team. She said she remembered being told she couldn’t speak out about mental health, despite resources being available.
“We had psychologists and stuff with our team for soccer … but we weren’t encouraged to use them,” Lorenzen said. “We weren’t supported in the situations that we were in with someone so close to us struggling, so we were kind of helping her and seeking help for ourselves as well.”
Despite it being a “heavy” experience, Lorenzen said she’s grateful for the opportunity to work with Samaritans.
“It is a crisis of grief, but it’s amazing,” Lorenzen said. “The community and having these people come in and look for help, and find people who are going through similar things, and get through it together.”
Maitland said it can be difficult to talk about grieving a loved one who died by suicide, but Samaritans can offer resources to communities navigating those conversations.
“I think it’s really important just to note that even if you didn’t know the person who passed away, you still could be grieving the loss of a person, and it doesn’t make it any less of a loss,” Maitland said.
Parish said working with Samaritans has given her more resources on navigating tough conversations in her personal life and made her a better person, listener and friend.
“It’s allowed me to be much more open with my own mental health … and to have those hard conversations around suicide,” Parish said. “Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. You’re never alone.”
