Monthly Board Spotlight: Crystal Abbe Graham
About Crystal Abbe Graham
Crystal Abbe Graham is the publisher of Augusta Free Press and a volunteer mental-health and suicide prevention advocate. She serves on the Mental Health America of Augusta Board of Directors as communications chair.
- Crystal served on the board of directors of the Virginia chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and was the area director for AFSP’s Virginia chapter in 2017.
- In 2016, Crystal completed a two-day facilitator training for a Survivors of Suicide Loss Peer-to-Peer Support Group and helped launch a Staunton, Va.-based group (currently on hiatus due to COVID-19).
- She completed the two-day ASIST intervention training in 2016 also offered by LivingWorks Education
- She has presented programs to local populations (general public, high school and colleges) including Talk Saves Lives, More than Sad, and It’s Real.
- In 2017, she received the Dr. and Mrs. C. Lennart Sanquist Prevention Award from Mental Health America of Augusta for her work in suicide prevention including the formation of a Suicide Prevention Roundtable.
- Graham was certified in 2019 by LivingWorks Education to teach safeTALK, a half-day workshop that teaches participants to be a suicide alert helper.
- She served on the mental health expert review committee for the Virginia Department of Education working on revisions to the mental-health portions of the SOLs.
- In 2021, she became certified as a Youth Mental Health First Aider through a course offered by regionten.
- She started a Facebook Page titled The Ditto Project to further the cause of suicide prevention and education. Her dedication to prevention stems from the loss of her identical twin sister, Christina, who died by suicide at age 15.