A Cincinnati mother's grief over losing her teenage son in a motorcycle accident became part of a suicide-prevention effort that has since reached thousands of young people across the region. Cathy Strunk, a former psychiatric nurse, had been developing a teen suicide-prevention program for several years before Terry died; after his death, the program was given the name “Surviving the Teens.” It has helped thousands of young people navigate the pressures of growing up.
According to WKRC, Strunk is described as a Cincinnati mother whose son Terry, her teenage son, was killed in a motorcycle accident, and “Surviving the Teens” has helped thousands of young people navigate the pressures of growing up. But Strunk's work in suicide prevention did not begin with her loss. She was already developing suicide prevention materials as a psychiatric nurse at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center before Terry's fatal crash, according to Beyond Surviving the Teens.
A Clinical Foundation Reshaped by Personal Loss
After Terry's death, Strunk named and expanded the program, later attributing both the “Surviving the Teens” title and the spiritual framing of her work to her faith journey while navigating grief, per Beyond Surviving the Teens. She went on to release a book, “To Infinity and Beyond: How God Used a Mother's Grief to Save Teen Lives,” WKRC reports.
The program was a school-based curriculum.
Research Backed the Program's Effectiveness
The curriculum's impact was measured in a peer-reviewed evaluation published in the Journal of School Health in September 2011. Three months after completing “Surviving the Teens,” high school students reporting suicidal thoughts dropped by 65 percent, from 4.2 percent to 1.5 percent, and those planning suicide attempts fell by 48 percent, according to a report carried by PR Newswire. University of Cincinnati researchers led the study, surveying more than 900 high school students across Warren, Butler, and Hamilton counties.
Strunk retired from Cincinnati Children's in June 2018 after building the curriculum during her career there, per Beyond Surviving the Teens. Cincinnati Children's also offers “ADAPT for Life,” a school-based suicide prevention curriculum for middle and high school students, 1N5 notes. In the 2021–2022 academic year, the school-based curriculum reached nearly 22,000 middle and high school students across Greater Cincinnati, according to regional nonprofit 1N5. Cincinnati Children's works alongside private sponsors to offer the curriculum free of charge to participating schools, 1N5 notes.
Why the Work Still Matters in Ohio
The scale of Strunk's program reflects a public health picture that has only grown more urgent. Suicide remained the second leading cause of death among Ohioans aged 10 to 14 and 20 to 34 in 2023, according to the Ohio Department of Health, which recorded 1,777 suicide deaths statewide that year.
A Network Built Around the Original Framework
Strunk's early hospital-based curriculum helped seed a broader network of youth advocacy in the region. In 2013, Cincinnati Children's founded the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention, a high school leadership initiative now co-operated with 1N5 that has engaged approximately 75 high school leaders since its inception, Hoodline previously reported in coverage of a related local suicide prevention effort.
Families seeking immediate help can contact the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Strunk's story reflects the intersection of her clinical work and personal grief. The Surviving the Teens program has reached young people across Greater Cincinnati.
