I had the immense pleasure of chatting with two of Orygen’s (Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne) youth suicide prevention researchers. A/Prof Jo Robinson, who is the Head of Suicide Prevention at Orygen, and Dr Louise La Sala, Youth Suicide Prevention Researcher at Orygen.

Jo Robinson is an Associate Professor at Orygen, where she leads the suicide prevention research unit, which is regarded as the leading centre of youth suicide research in the world.

A/Prof Robinson’s work focuses on the development, and rigorous testing, of novel interventions that specifically target at risk youth across settings, on evidence synthesis, and on the translation of research evidence into practice and policy. Her work has a strong focus on the potential of social media platforms in suicide prevention. This includes the development of the #chatsafe guidelines, the first evidence-based best practice guidelines for safe peer-peer communication about suicide online, which are now available in 12 countries around the world.

Dr Louise La Sala is a researcher with the suicide prevention unit at Orygen. Her expertise is in the area of online behaviour and youth mental health, focusing on the social and psychological impact digital technologies can have on young people. Louise is a lead researcher on the #chatsafe project, exploring the role social media can play in youth suicide prevention and evaluating the impact of universal suicide prevention interventions. 

We talk all things, youth suicide prevention, the need to listen to young voices experiencing suicidal thoughts and/or behaviours today, the role social media plays, the current global pandemic, and empowerment and education through advocacy. 

Jo’s spoke passionately about the much needed disruption in the suicide prevention sector by co-creating deliverables for online communication about suicide among young people; as well as providing guidelines for their significant adults around them. 

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