The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide’s Clinical Director, Susan Tellone, to be Honored by the Mental Health Association in New Jersey
The Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ) is pleased to announce that Susan Tellone, MSN, BSN, CSN, RN, Clinical Director for the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide has been chosen as an honoree for its 24th Annual Evening of Excellence and 80th Anniversary Celebration. Ms. Tellone is being recognized for her dedication and significant contributions to preventing youth suicide. This prestigious event will be held on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at The Park Savoy Estate in Florham Park, New Jersey.
“We are incredibly proud to honor Susan Tellone for her unwavering commitment to preventing youth suicide and her tireless efforts to provide hope and support to countless young people and their families. Her leadership and passion for mental health education have not only shaped the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide but have also created lasting change in schools and healthcare systems statewide. Susan’s dedication to saving lives truly exemplifies the spirit of our Evening of Excellence,” said Carolyn Beauchamp, President and CEO of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey.
Susan Tellone is a highly accomplished nursing professional with a career spanning nearly 40 years and has dedicated herself to the field of mental health education both as a nurse and an educator, with a focus on adolescent suicide prevention. Under Ms. Tellone’s leadership, the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide has emerged as a state leader in exceptional training and educational programming.
Early in her career, Ms. Tellone worked with terminal cancer patients, where she saw so intimately the human survival instinct in action. “Part of my nursing practice was to help patients die with dignity and grace, yet so many clung to life.” Learning about suicide – particularly teen suicide – she knew it had to be preventable because it goes against our human instincts and what she had witnessed in her nursing career. This prompted her to turn her practice to psychiatric nursing, education and training working in the emergency rooms of Monmouth Medical Center (RWJ Barnabas Health) as one of the first PESS (psychiatric emergency suicide screeners) and went on from there to teach for many years at the University of Medicine and Dentistry on various topics on mental health.
In 2008 Susan took a position at Manasquan High School (NJ) as a school nurse and educator and soon after that, her school experienced one of the larger teenage suicide contagions on record. During her tenure there, as a response to the suicide contagion, Susan took on the roles of Crisis Coordinator, Anti-bullying specialist and Master Lifelines Suicide Prevention Trainer. She co-authored a Project Serv Grant (schools against violence) and was able to get funding into her school to develop a Crisis plan based on the Lifelines Curriculum that became a national model. She presented this plan at the National Conference on Suicidality in Florida in 2009, and Susan continues to present both locally and nationally on this topic.
“I am and will always remain hopeful that we can create a world where young people are surrounded by support, resilience and opportunities for growth. I firmly believe that every young life is filled with potential and promise, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure they thrive,” Susan said.
Retiring from education in 2016, Susan went on to serve as the Vice President of the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County. During her Vice Presidency at MHA, Susan through County and grant funding spearheaded the Lifelines Suicide Prevention program implemented in over 160 schools in Monmouth County New Jersey.
Presently she holds the position of the Clinical Director at Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide where she continues her passion for preventing suicide among our youth. As clinical director, Ms. Tellone is responsible for Suicide Prevention Programming. She has expanded programming into the healthcare sector, most prominently as the co-author of Adolescent Clinical Training for Suicide Prevention. The model is designed, and the curriculum written to upskill health professionals including outpatient providers, hospital ED staff and hospitalists, nurses, and pediatric health providers.
Ms. Tellone is a strong advocate for mental health and has presented multiple times in the NJ Senate to promote legislation supporting youth. She is often recognized as an authority on the topic of suicide prevention and has appeared on radio, podcasts, as well as a trusted expert contributing to numerous articles on youth suicide. Ms. Tellone is a sought-after keynote/plenary speaker and panelist at national conferences.
About the Mental Health Association in New Jersey’s Evening of Excellence
The Mental Health Association in New Jersey’s 24th Annual Evening of Excellence is a crucial fundraiser for the organization. Proceeds from the event will support its efforts to increase access to advocacy and services for people living with behavioral health conditions. The MHANJ is grateful to sponsors, including: at the Gold/Wellness and Recovery Level — RWJBarnabas Health; at the Silver/Anti-stigma Ambassador Level – Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Inserra Supermarkets, Inc., Janine and Dan Kane, Johnson & Johnson, Minette’s Angels, Otsuka, United Healthcare and Uwill; and at the Bronze/Education and Resilience Level – Bristol Myers Squibb, Citizens Bank, Community Access Unlimited, Delta Dental, Steven E. Geltzeiler, Legacy Treatment Services, Lexpath, Lundbeck and MikeWorldWide (MWW).
The Mental Health Association in New Jersey is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to strive for children and adults to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training and services. For more information visit https://www.mhanj.org/ or call 973-571-4100, ext. 123.
