Aloha, my name is Patricia Wistinghausen and over the past decade I have been working mostly as an Administrative Professional, and then volunteering my time as a Community Organizer and Advocate for various social justice issue areas. Through my years of public service, civic engagement, and community stewardship, I’ve been fortunate to be a founding member, board member, and leader within locally-based organizations on the island of Kaua’i, across the state, and representing Hawai’i at a national level. 

 

Below is a list of some of the groups that I’ve been involved with, or am still actively volunteering with:

Chair (2018) and Vice-Chair (2019) of the Committee on the Status of Women (CSW) with the County of Kaua’i Boards and Commissions

Vice-Chair (2018-2020) and Founding Member of the statewide Veterans Caucus with the Democratic Party of Hawai’i

Board of Directors for the statewide organization, Emergency Management Professionals of Hawai’i (EMP-HI) – Founding Member, Elected to the 1st Board of Directors as Charter Secretary – Executive Officer, 1st Woman on the Board, served as President-Elect (2018), President (2019), and Immediate Past President (2020).

Ho’okele Coalition of Kaua’i – Prevention Committee Member – County of Kaua’i

Kaua’i Community Action Team Member – Sexual Assault Violence Prevention

Kaua’i State Central Committee Representative – Democratic Party of Hawai’i (2016-2020)

Past Leader in Kaua’i Women’s Caucus and Kaua’i Young Democrats

Founding Member and Past Coordinator of the Kaua’i Violence Prevention Coalition (KVPC)

Past Board Member of the Kaua’i Rural Health Association (KRHA)

Am also an advocate in groups fighting for a Living Wage, for Prison Reform, for LGBTQ+ rights, for increasing access to Veterans’ Services (especially for disabled veterans), access to Healthcare as a Human Right, along with Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice.

 

For the past 7 years, I have also been most actively involved in the Prevent Suicide Kaua’i Task Force (PSKTF). I’m a Steering Committee Member, Suicide Prevention Educator, and safeTALK Trainer for our island; going on 4 years now. Out of the different community issues that I’ve dedicated my time to, in addition to being passionate about Women’s Advocacy and Gender Equity Rights, I dedicate the most time to my work in Suicide Prevention.  

As is the case with nearly every person that has ever been in one of my Suicide Prevention Trainings, I am connected in the form of family members and friends who died by suicide, who are attempt survivors, who have had or are having thoughts of suicide, and because I’ve had personal struggles of my own. When you lose a loved one, a classmate, an acquaintance, or even a celebrity you admired to suicide, no matter how distant the relation may have been, the pain is still felt in your heart and throughout your community with each life lost. 

My goal in having started this Consulting company in the midst of this coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, was to focus my efforts on reaching out to my community via suicide prevention education. By sharing information and delivering trainings, I aim to continue empowering individuals to recognize signs that someone may be thinking about suicide and to have the tools to engage that person and start having those difficult conversations.

When it comes to suicide prevention, we know that the more we talk about suicide the less likely someone will be to take their own life. By bringing it up first, and asking the question ‘Are you thinking about suicide?’ we create a safe space and give the person struggling permission to speak about their thoughts with someone who is willing to listen without judgement and is there to support them as they recognize for themselves their reasons for wanting to die, and more importantly, talking through their reasons for wanting to KeepSafe and live. 

All of the issues I have worked on and continue to work on are tied together in the shared ex