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Conference: Addressing Black Male Suicide

SACMHA Health & Social Care will be hosting this critically important conference in partnership with the Sheffield Health & Social Care Foundation Trust along with Sheffield Flourish on Saturday 23rd July from 9:30am at the Mega Centre in Sheffield.

This conference entitled ‘Addressing Black Male Suicide’, has attracted a variety of specialists as key note speakers such as therapists, counsellors, and community activists.   The conference panel will address black male suicide and how it relates to the family context, faith, counselling needs and lived experiences. 

David Bussue, is the Service Director of SACMHA Health & Social Care which is Sheffield’s longest established and premier African Caribbean-led Adult Social Care provider and training and community engagement organisation.  David commented that

“75% of the almost 7,000 people who end their lives by suicide in the UK are men, however, though anecdotal evidence indicates an over-representation in this cohort of Black men, robust data confirming this is not available, largely because ethnic monitoring is not a requirement for Coroners.  This is the first Conference of its kind in Sheffield and these statistics make the fact that we need to talk about this issue as a community even more pertinent.”  

The conference will be hosted by David Bussue who has extensive experience in the Health and Social Care sector.  David is an experienced and qualified and Social Worker.  As well as being the Service Director of SACMHA, David is an Ordained Minister.

Dr Joe Aldred, who will Chair the event, is a Community Activist and Ecumenist.  Dr Aldred has amassed an in depth knowledge of the African Caribbean male experience both in the Caribbean, in the United Kingdom, pre and post Windrush.

Patricia Eschoe is an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and Analysis.  Patricia specialises in person centred counselling and will address the conference from the context of family and black male suicide.

Paul Green is a psychodynamic therapist, who supports clients in understanding how their past experiences influence their present behaviours and how to acquire the necessary strategies to make effective choices for managing existing problems.  Paul will address the conference on the Value of Counselling. 

Gambinga Gambinga is a community activist and works in the area of adult social care. Gambinga will address the conference from his lived experience perspective.  

Dr Delroy Hall has over 30 years as a Pastor in the black majority churches context.  Dr Hall now works as Counsellor specialising in human development and how to deal with pain and developing trust.  Delroy will address conference focusing on the issue faith and suicide – often viewed as the ‘final taboo’.

The Addressing Black Male Suicide Conference is open to everyone.  Professionals attending the conference are urged to discard professional curiosity and to ‘bring yourself to the conversation.’

Gender-specific workshops will be provided as part of the afternoon session.  Workshops will focus on:

  • Conference Themes – Reflection for moving forward
  • Care in the context of black male suicide: Self-care Strategies; Caring for Family Members; Care in the Community

To register for the conference contact:

E: [email protected]

T: 0114 2726393

SACMHA will receive questions from the public in advance of the conference and people will also have the opportunity to ask questions following each key note speaker.  Questions for the panel can be  prior to the event to [email protected]

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July 15, 2022