Jasmin Brooks Stephens | Reimagining Suicide Prevention for Black Youth: Advancing Upstream and Strengths-Based Approaches

Event details Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Time: 12:10 PM Location: Berkeley Way West (2121 Berkeley Way), Room 1102 Type: Lecture / Workshop Audience: Alumni,Faculty,Prospective Students,Public,Staff,Students About this event Institute of Personality and Social Research Colloquium The crisis of suicide among Black youth and emerging adults has intensified in recent years, yet suicide prevention science has rarely examined how risk and protective processes may operate uniquely within this population. In this talk, I will present a program of research that reimagines suicide prevention by integrating the study of sociocultural risk with strengths-based pathways to psychological well-being. I will first review empirical findings demonstrating how racism-related stress, racial trauma, and other sociocultural pressures contribute to vulnerability to suicidal ideation and behavior among Black youth. I will then highlight protective processes that buffer suicide risk and promote positive mental health outcomes among Black youth. Building on this work, I will introduce the Black Youth Thriving Framework for Suicide Prevention, a strengths-based conceptual model that shifts the field beyond crisis-oriented intervention toward the proactive cultivation of developmental assets that support resilience and thriving. I will conclude by outlining a research agenda for advancing upstream, community-engaged prevention science that centers youth voice, integrates mixed-methods methodologies, and translates empirical findings into sustainable systems of care designed not only to prevent suicide, but to promote flourishing among Black youth. Dr. Jasmin B. Stephens is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where her work focuses on transforming suicide prevention and advancing mental health equity in the United States. An award-winning licensed clinical psychologist and scientist, she develops strengths-based, community-driven strategies that reduce suicide and promote healing among Black youth and emerging adults. Dr. Stephens has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including JAMA Psychiatry, JAMA Network Open, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, and American Psychologist, and has received national recognition for her research, which has been supported through competitive grant funding. Her work has been recognized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and featured in major outlets including TIME and Forbes. Known for bridging science, community, and systems change, she partners with organizations, media, and leaders across sectors to translate research into actionable strategies that improve mental health outcomes and build more equitable systems of care. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston and completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2025 Official event details: https://events.berkeley.edu/live/events/333102-jasmin-brooks-stephens-reimagining-suicide-prevention