Suicide Prevention Program Expands in Honor of Jonathan Brostoff

Levi Stein first met Jonathan Brostoff in 2017. But it wasn’t until the two discussed their passion for improving access to mental health resources that their friendship took off.

Brostoff died by suicide in November. A Milwaukee alder and former state lawmaker, Brostoff was an advocate for mental health resources and suicide prevention efforts.

Perhaps no one knew that better than Stein, the executive director of The Friendship Circle of Wisconsin.

“When he passed, right away, I said, ‘What would Jonathan want me to do now?’ And that is to make sure no one else goes through this alone,” Stein said.

Stein had already been hosting suicide prevention trainings before Brostoff died last year. Now, he’s ramping those efforts up and is attempting to hold 41 trainings across the state for free in honor of Brostoff, who was 41 years old when he died.

Stein wants to train 1,000 people in Wisconsin by World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10.

The four-hour SafeTALK training is focused on showing people how to recognize and talk to someone who is thinking about suicide. It teaches them how to connect at-risk people with resources.

The goal is simple: save lives.

“This training is to connect people with others — peer support, helping people before they even know that they need help sometimes,” Stein said. “We want to get them help before the crisis happens.”

Last week, around 30 people gathered in a small classroom at the Milwaukee Montessori School on the city’s east side for the training. Some had known Brostoff personally, while others said they just wanted to help others in need.

Wisconsin Rep. Darrin Madison Jr., D-Milwaukee, attended the event. He had known Brostoff since he was 14 years old. They used to talk once a week.

“Jonathan played a real support in my life through my teenage years, and even in the beginning of my journey as an elected official,” Madison said.

Madison said he came to the event hoping to help prevent further deaths.

“The more folks you have out in communities that see the signs and know how to how to connect folks to resources, the better the outcomes,” Madison said.

Lori Turner attended the training as well. She collects donations for people experiencing homelessness in Milwaukee and said the people she works with often share their stories.

“And then they get deeper into their conversation, and every day they’re like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do this another day and I’m ready to go and can you help me,’” Turner said. “And I don’t know those resources.”

After the training, Turner said she felt better equipped to have those conversations.

“I walked away with a whole lot more knowledge of resources that I know I can now pass on to the people I come in contact with,” she said.

Brostoff took the training in 2021

Stein said he got his license to host the SafeTALK trainings in 2020 after someone he knew died by suicide. Brostoff took the training himself and he helped bring it to city employees in Milwaukee.

“He was very much an advocate for this type of work,” Stein said.

Brostoff’s death shocked the community. Research has shown each suicide affects around 135 people. But for a public figure like Brostoff, that number can be higher.

According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 932 people died by suicide across the state in 2022.

In a column Brostoff wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, he said he attempted suicide “more than once,” and he had also lost a friend who died by suicide by firearm. That led him to be an advocate for gun reform as a state lawmaker.

“And as someone who has faced that darkness and lived to share my story, I am so thankful I didn’t have access to a gun when I thought that leaving this world was the best way to handle everything that came with it,” Brostoff wrote in the column.

‘Don’t let them be alone’

Stein is trying to host around two trainings per week to meet his goal of 41. Each session is four hours long.

“So it’s a lot of work, but every time we do this, people are affected by it,” Stein said.

Stein said the training helps people recognize when someone is having thoughts of suicide.

“Often, people don’t walk over to you and say directly that they’re having thoughts of suicide,” Stein said. “So you have to learn how to pick up on those subtle signs.”

Stein said listening is the first step.

“And this is something that anyone could do,” Stein said. “You don’t need to be a behavioral health expert working for Children’s Hospital to make an impact. You just need to be a human. And when you’re done listening, the most important step is to get them help.”

During one recent training, Stein said someone left halfway through the event to call a friend after realizing through the program that the person could be at risk.

“People are struggling alone,” Stein said. “Don’t let them be alone.”

More information about the free training programs is available through Friendship Circle of Wisconsin.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, you can call or text the three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. Resources are also available online here.

Listen to the WPR report

Suicide prevention training program expands in honor of late Milwaukee alder was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.