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Sally Spencer-Thomas

@sspencerthomas.bsky.social
273 followers 447 following 226 posts

Psychologist, Keynote, Podcaster, Pres United Suicide Survivors #ZeroSuicide #MentalHealth #WorkplaceWellbeing #ConstructionWorkingMinds #SuicidePrevention #SuicideGrief #HOPECertification #WorkplaceSuicidePrevention #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #psychsky

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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Denver Westword article captures just how far #ManTherapy has come since we launched this wild & hopeful experiment in 2012. We knew men weren’t lacking pain -- or courage -- the resources available simply weren’t reaching them. www.westword.com/arts-culture... #MensMentalHealth #SuicidePrevention
westword.com
Suicide rates among Colorado men are some of the nation’s highest. 'Man Therapy' takes a different approach to reach them
The team behind Denver’s national  “Man Therapy” campaign launches a new book to reach men who are unlikely to seek traditional mental health support.
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
We started writing this book about entrepreneurs and mental health in 2021. Writing weekend with Susan Frew in a beautiful place, enjoying the time together and pouring ourselves into this labor of love. We finally landed on a cover we are absolutely psyched about! Stay tuned…
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
There’s something deeply special about doing this work alongside someone who shares your passion for #suicideprevention and who also happens to be an absolutely wicked fun travel companion. Grateful for this week at the AAS Annual Conference 2026 in St. Louis w my dear friend Sarah Gaer. #aas2026
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
It's hard to put into words how deeply meaningful it is to be a keynote speaker at the American Association of Suicidology's (AAS) 59th Annual Conference. After my brother died by suicide, I stumbled into AAS searching for answers, a lifeline in my profound grief. #WorkplaceSuicidePrevention
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Reposted by Sally Spencer-Thomas
International Association for Suicide Prevention @iaspinfo.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Join Dr @sspencerthomas.bsky.social and Francisco Valenzuela as they unpack how isolation, long rotations, fatigue, and workplace culture increase suicide risk, and how lived-experience leadership can redesign systems to protect lives and strengthen culture. Listen: bit.ly/4tevjZP
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Reposted by Sally Spencer-Thomas
Aneri Pattani @aneripattani.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Someone in America dies by suicide every 11 minutes. Some experts, like @sspencerthomas.bsky.social, say treating mental illness isn’t enough. We must fix the “broken things in our communities." First piece in my series on suicide prevention for @kffhealthnews.org kffhealthnews.org/mental-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
Saving Lives by Changing Lives: The Next Frontier in Suicide Prevention - KFF Health News
Someone in America dies by suicide every 11 minutes. It’s a tragic and entrenched problem. A new approach to prevention shifts the focus from stopping harm in moments of crisis to upstream policies th...
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
United Suicide Survivors is excited to announce that we are seeking a seasoned, passionate nonprofit leader to join our team as US's first Executive Director. Complete position details can be found at tinyurl.com/USExecutiveD... info@unitesurvivors.org (ATTN: Hiring Committee) by April 10th, 2026.
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
The biggest snowstorm of the year tried to slow us down… but this community had other plans. Through icy roads and blowing snow, leaders from across Colorado still gathered to celebrate something powerful: 18 months of dedication to building healthier, more compassionate workplaces.
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Grateful for Josh Rizzo’s timely #MLKDay reflection. Dr. King reminded us that everyone can be great because everyone can serve. That’s the spirit of the Construction #MentalHealth & Wellbeing Conference. Join us 2/23-2/26 constructionmentalhealth.org #MLKDay #constructionmentalhealth
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
When a client tells you they’re suicidal, your training, confidence, and nervous system are all tested -- at once. This PESI training is usually $249.99 -- and for the first time, it’s FREE. 2.11 -- Live + 14-day recording access included CEs available MORE: my.pesi.partners/747X36K/2RKG...
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
We’re proud to sponsor scholarships for people with lived experience to attend the #ConstructionMentalHealth & Wellbeing Conference. *Learn more about sponsorship opportunities: static1.squarespace.com/static/65ae8... *Conference details: constructionmentalhealth.org
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Hot off the presses! So honored to be part of this global conversation with our international colleagues through the International Association for Suicide Prevention on work-related suicide in times of crisis. @iaspinfo.bsky.social #WorkplaceSuicidePrevention econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/epdf/10....
econtent.hogrefe.com
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
When a suicide happens, the clock starts ticking, whether leaders are ready or not. Listen to why the first 48 hours matter. PODCAST with Dr. John Gaal www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/84 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #SuicidePostvention #LeadershipInCrisis #PsychologicalSafety #MentalHealthAtWork
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
If you carry lived experience with suicide, addiction, or mental health challenges and feel a pull to share your story in a way that reduces stigma, builds hope, and protects both you and your audience, this retreat is for you. www.eventbrite.com/e/5th-annual... @jbsinger.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
A year in review feels like a good moment to pause. Some honest personal reflections on burnout, aging, and what it really takes to keep prioritizing mental health when you’re surrounded by suffering. Grateful. Humbled. Still hopeful. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin...
sallyspencerthomas.com
A Year in Review: Mental Health, Healing, and Hope — Dr. Sally
In this special year-in-review episode, I reflect on a year of global travel, impact, and learning across workplace mental health, suicide prevention, clinical training, and lived-experience storytell...
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
“Leave the industry better than you found it.” That means building systems that allow people to rest, not just endure. PODCAST: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/82 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #Leadership #Recovery #Burnout
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
“When you take PTO, take PTO.” Science agrees. Mental detachment (not location) is what restores health. LISTEN HERE: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/82 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #PTO #Burnout @jbsinger.bsky.social @thementalelf.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
It’s Dec 24 -- and many of us are heading into PTO. Science reminder: Vacation helps only if you mentally detach. Thinking about work = stress, not rest. New episode with Daniel Oates: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/82 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #PTO #MentalHealth @jbsinger.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
“How many deaths are we calling mental health problems when brain injury may also be part of the story?” ~Dr. John Gaal PODCAST: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin... John lost his son to suicide at 24. Later, he learned that his son’s brain showed signs consistent with CTE.
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
We tell athletes to “shake it off,” “tough it out,” and “get back in the game.” In this episode of #HopeIlluminated, I sat down w Dr. John Gaal, whose son died by suicide @ 24. After his death John learn that his son’s brain showed hallmark signs of #CTE. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin...
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Reposted by Sally Spencer-Thomas
International Association for Suicide Prevention @iaspinfo.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Join Dr Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social, and guest Dr Colleen Saringer as they explore how job strain impacts families and contributes to work-related suicide risk in the latest episode hosted by the IASP Suicide and the Workplace Special Interest Group. Listen: bit.ly/4iQ63o2
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
When Work Stress Comes Home: Understanding the Spillover Effect in Work-Related Suicide with Dr. Colleen Saringer NEW PODCAST EPISODE: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/80 In partnership with @iaspinfo.bsky.social #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #WorkRelatedSuicide @jbsinger.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Carson, today marks 21 years without you here. My brother, my angel, my friend, I miss you and love you, always. The long tail of suicide grief is real. Your death is fully woven into the story of my life. And yet some days, the hole your absence leaves is deeper. Today, I feel that hole.
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Here’s the truth: if people don’t feel physically and psychologically safe, nothing else lands — not engagement, trust, or performance. Take a listen: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/79 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #MentalHealthSafety #ConstructionWorkingMinds
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Too often, workplaces wait until something goes wrong to respond. But what if instead, we got really good at catching what goes right? www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/79 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #MentalHealthSafety #ConstructionWorkingMinds
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
NEW podcast episode, featuring a conversation w/ longtime safety-culture thought-leader Bill Sims. We bridge physical safety & mental health to show how safety culture can be a powerful foundation for resilience. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/79 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #MentalHealthSafety
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Construction #MentalHealth Award nominations close December 3rd! We’re accepting nominations for: 🔹 Visionary Organizations (Large, Mid-Size, Local) 🔹 Cutting-Edge Researchers & Applied Science Teams 🔹 Journalists & Media Outlets Elevating Mental Health Stories form.jotform.com/252824048013...
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
So many children impacted by suicide are searching for ways to express what they cannot yet explain. Ryan’s work reminds us that creativity helps us travel through grief w/o feeling alone or unseen www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin... #HopeIlluminated #SurvivorDay #SurvivorsOfSuicideLossDay
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
The International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is November 22 -- a day when people around the world gather to remember, share stories, and honor those we’ve lost. afsp.org/internationa... Podcast on how to help kids: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin... #SurvivorDay #ISOSL #SuicideGrief
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Bittersweet week in Dallas. After 5 yrs working with the UA, we passed the torch on a #mentalhealth initiative for 400,000 members across the US/Canada. We trained UA members to lead this work and make it their own w powerful stories & lived expertise. They’re ready & will keep making it better.
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Rural behavioral health studies tell us this clearly: when your work is your legacy, asking for help can feel like failure. Naming the pain is the first act of courage. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin... #FarmStress #HopeIlluminated #RuralMentalHealth #AgrarianImperative #FarmStateOfMind
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
We’re committed to making the #ConstructionMentalHealth Conference (Feb 25-26) accessible to people who are shaping the future of this movement: apprentices, students, lived-experience leaders, early-career professionals, etc. Scholarship applications are open! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
What a great day in Fort Collins. Business leaders gathered for the final session of our 4-part workplace wellbeing series. H.O.P.E. Certification is a program of @unitesurvivors.org International. People with lived experience are co-designing the strategies and overseeing implementation.
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Deep in the heart of Texas 🇨🇱 this week for The International Association of Foundation Drilling Safety Summit 2025! Powerful conversations were had about construction workforce leadership burnout & #suicideprevention. #WorkplaceMentalHealth #ConstructionWorkingMinds #LeadershipBurnout
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
PODCAST: Monica McConkey brings both lived experience & clinical expertise. She grew up on a farm in Minnesota & has spent 30+ years supporting farm families thru hardship, loss & healing. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin... #RuralMentalHealth #FarmStress #SuicidePrevention #HopeIlluminated
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
There’s nothing quite like the Pacific Northwest. Mt. Rainier rising out of the fog like a ghost on Halloween. Pt 1 #suicideprevention w Wash State Patrol Pt 2 of the trip was soul food. Over a messy, glorious seafood boil (gloves on, laughter loud), Cal Beyer & I swapped wins, worries, and dreams.
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Culture change doesn’t happen just because we care about mental health. It happens when we systemize, embed, and normalize it—turning wellness from an afterthought into a daily operational standard. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/77 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
In my latest Headspace for the Workplace episode, Brandon Evans and I explore how wellbeing needs reps & recovery -- just like physical fitness. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/77 #headspacefortheworkplace
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
This quote from my podcast guest Monica McConkey has stayed with me: “Meeting people where they are means acknowledging their reality - not dragging them into yours.” That’s what it takes to build trust in workplace mental health. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/76 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Exciting day in West Michigan! We’re thrilled to bring strategic approaches to workplace wellbeing & hopefully the full H.O.P.E. Certification implementation program to this incredible region. #workplacewellbeing #hopecertification #mentalhealthatwork @thementalelf.bsky.social @jbsinger.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
LOSS Team Conference in Omaha, Nebraska this week. Felt good to connect back into my roots of suicide Postvention and grief/trauma support for people impacted by suicide. @thementalelf.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Exciting news! My latest Headspace for the Workplace episode features Brandon Evans of Fire to Light! Brandon is a retired firefighter & fierce advocate for #mentalfitness. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/77 #headspacefortheworkplace @jbsinger.bsky.social @firstresponders.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
“If mental health is a human right… How are we protecting it on the job site?” When someone is silently struggling, are they truly seen? Or is their situation treated as a personal issue, out of scope? More on World Mental Health Day www.who.int/campaigns/wo... #ConstructionWorkingMinds @who.int
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
I made it from Carlsbad, CA all the way to Louisville, KY. Today’s meeting is packed w construction business owners and executives who are leaning in, asking the hard questions, and ready to move the needle on mental health in construction. #SuicidePrevention #ConstructionWorkingMinds #SCOARMeets
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
“AI isn’t here to replace the human touch. It’s here to spark the right words at the right time—so leaders feel less stuck when a tough conversation about mental health comes their way.” — Alex Willis www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin... #TechForMentalHealth #AI #HopeIlluminated
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Thrilled to feature Alexander Willis — a former NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers player turned leadership coach — on this week’s #HopeIlluminated podcast! We talk about #AI, #leadership, and #mentalhealth. Tune in: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illumin... #WorkplaceMentalHealth @jbsinger.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
On the most recent episode of the "#HeadspaceForTheWorkplace" podcast Corey Feist, JD, MBA of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation shared this insight: “Effective policy starts with listening to frontline workers.” www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/75 #HealthcareHeroes @jbsinger.bsky.social
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
J. Corey Feist, JD, MBA, CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation, reminded me in our #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace podcast conversation that “supporting worker wellbeing requires a multidisciplinary approach.” www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/75 #SuicidePrevention #HealthcareHeroes
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
New episode! Corey Feist of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation joins Headspace for the Workplace to unpack why policy reform -- not just awareness -- saves lives at work. www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/75 #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace #WorkplaceMentalHealth
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Sally Spencer-Thomas @sspencerthomas.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
One of Brad Anderson's key takeaways in our Headspace for the Workplace episode: “Get to know people in recovery and ask them about their journey.” Hear more of Brad’s wisdom here: www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/74 #Recovery #Connection #WorkplaceMentalHealth #HeadspaceForTheWorkplace
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