Laura Gold joined UT-TIEMH in 2024 through a collaborative initiative with Education Service Center (ESC) Region 16’s Texas Center for Student Supports (TCSS), which oversees the Stronger Connections Grant (SCG) program across all 20 ESCs in Texas. At UT-TIEMH, Laura leads the development of individualized youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention training resources for administrators, educators, mental health professionals, and families. She also trains regional staff within the K–12 education system to serve as trainers.
Previously, Laura worked at Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) as the Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) and Suicide Prevention Specialist. In that role, she provided statewide training and technical assistance, and consulted with AWARE grantees in Houston, Laredo, and San Antonio.
With over 30 years of experience in suicide prevention across schools, community mental health, and state agencies, Laura is recognized as a subject matter expert. Her career spans crisis intervention in schools and collaboration with city, county, and state agencies on suicide prevention and disaster preparedness and response.
Laura is certified to train in a wide range of evidence-based programs, including:
· Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid
· ASK About Suicide to Save a Life
· Safety Planning Intervention
· Counseling on Access to Lethal Means
· Talk Saves Lives
· It’s Real: Teens and Mental Health
· More Than Sad
· Hope Squad (Master Trainer)
She is the former Board President of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Central Texas Chapter and currently serves as the Ethics Committee Chair for the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.