Psychological Autopsies

"I've known Chris for about 3 years now but it feels like much longer; he's just that kind of person you immediately  connect with. He is a Certified Psychological Autopsy Investigator and  worked diligently for 15 months on my brother's psychological autopsy.  He showed us incredible compassion, sensitivity, and knowledge, and we could tell he genuinely cared about the work he was doing for us. In the  end, he gave us more answers than we ever thought possible. We are  forever thankful for his work. Chris really, really, knows his stuff.  It's impressive! Thank you, Chris!"

Tarra Grammenos

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"What an incredibly well organized and well written report. Congratulations on your renewal."

Chris Sandwell, MS, LPC, NCC, CCTP, PAI, CSC

Director of Accreditation, Training and Certification 

American Association of Suicidology

Presentations on suicide and related phenomena

"Thank you very much for being a part of the 2024 Minnesota Energy Conference! You were a valuable addition to our presenter line-up hat helped to make our conference successful."

The Minnesota Energy Conference Committee

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"It was such a pleasure to meet you and hear you speak at our program based on the documentary 'My Ascension' yesterday.  Your interactive game on the myths of suicide provided a helpful context on the topic at hand and was a timely way to "tee up" the documentary. The film de-briefing with Melissa with the large group went very well and engaged the participants in a new way. Feelings were very raw and close to the surface post movie and you showed a respect and empathy for those in attendance. I realize that is a result of your own personal experiences with suicide, as well as working closely with others who have experienced it as well. It made you relatable as a person and as an expert. I appreciated that. I think the attendees did too. I thought the give-and-take between you and Melissa in the de-brief went well and there was a nice symbiosis that emerged from it. Through the benefits of serendipity and hindsight, it was a very effective speaker pairing."

Anonymous

Church Mental Health and Well-being Comittee

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"Hearing Dr. Caulkins speak is always inspiring and educational. My staff and myself have benefited so much that we have asked him back 3 times now and plan to have him back again in the future!"

Laura Novitsky, MS, LPCC

Adult Community Based Clinical Manager

Nystrom and Associates, LTD./Family Support Services, Inc.

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"I  would love for Caulkins to come again and speak in further depth about his research. I enjoyed his presentation very much. I would love to  learn more about how to break the stigma without 'promoting' suicide."

Fernanda Romer, EMT

President of EMSSA

Inver Hills Community College

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"Was absolutely eye-opening! With some personal experience and some personal research, it was very educational. I look forward to looking  into this organization and seeing what I can do."

Anonymous

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"Again,  many thanks for your excellent presentation and terrific Q&A. Your  eagerness to talk about suicide and associated research is contagious  and inspiring."

Brian Nerney, PhD

Professor, School of Communication, Writing and the Arts

Metropolitan State University

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"This was a very educational presentation for a topic that is difficult to talk about. I really admire you for what you've been through and your  willingness to educate others."

Anonymous

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"Very - very well done! This guy knows his subject matter."

Tom Evenson, Battalion Chief

Plymouth Fire Department

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"Interesting insights into the data/research--makes it more "real."

Anonymous

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"Thank you. What a powerful event. You shared excellent resources and knowledge on the panel.  I am so appreciative of our meeting way back at Simley H.S. for the Ripple Effect."

Merri Guggisberg, Youth & Family Education Coordinator

Youth Service Bureau

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"Thank you so much for coming to present at Grand Rounds. Your presentation and expertise were well received and appreciated. It was a pleasure having you on campus. I think all who attended benefitted greatly."

Jessie Faue, RN

Suicide Prevention Team

Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Hospital

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Education & Tutoring

"I wanted to write you that I am officially a medic!  Secondly, I wanted to thank you for the time, patience, and words of encouragement during our advisor meetings. [It] helped give me the strength and motivation to keep going. I truly appreciate your dedication to the EMS field as well as academic excellence. I know I have a great base to build my paramedic career on, and you were a large part of that. Thank you again, and I look forward to seeing you out there!"

Anonymous

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"I  am a firefighter, now paramedic. I had finished my Paramedic program  and eagerly testing out on the final step to starting my career as a  Firefighter/Medic at WRFD. I had taken my NREMT too many times to  count...ok 5. I am a horrible test taker. It is no secret. I was given  Dr. Chris Caulkins' information from a former student at FVTC. I reached  out with my timeline from my department, and he assured me with the  right amount of time he could get me ready to pass. I had one attempt  left, as well as a deadline for my probationary period at my department.  If I didn't pass, I would have to take medic over and leave my  department, and rightfully so.

During my tutoring with Chris, these are the things I noticed and would like to pass on. 

1.  If you feel you are doing everything you can and you are still  struggling. Reach out to a tutor. Chris specifically, as the added  pressures were not ones I would wish upon anybody else. Do this sooner,  but if you think you need help...do it.

 
2. Chris studied me. He  watched how I read questions, how I answered, my mannerisms and behavior  while testing. He noticed that I had learning disabilities/challenges  that would have hindered my testing no matter the amount of studying.  This was HUGE for me. Going forward we addressed them, testing looked  different for me. IMPROVED. 

3. Chris dug into what I had been doing and study habits, times of day I studied, and the fact that I was always  studying what I got wrong, which were usually pilot questions. He  redirected me to stay on the surface. I wanted to know the why...as  every medic does. I needed to focus on the signs and symptoms, what is it, and how to treat. Digging too deep got me in trouble. That comes  later. 

4. Chris reminded me that I am very smart and that I needed to be more confident in my instincts and knowledge, not second-guess myself, and not change my answer. This is huge. 

5. Lastly,  Chris accommodated my schedule and location. We Skyped and we did  mornings, evenings, one hour and two hours. One day a week and every  other day getting closer. He accommodated to be committed to me passing  and I felt that. Did he forget some...yep. We are human and at the end  of the day I really have nothing negative to say. I tried to think of  something not great to give you a feel that this man is human and has  faults, but I can't. He was a savior to my future, my career and most  importantly my confidence as a now paramedic. I'm forever grateful. He  knew the importance of this to me and gave me the confidence and  knowledge to not fail.

Thank you, Dr. Chris." 

Addey Cronkrite Paramedic/FF WRFD

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"As a career firefighter, during the midst of a global pandemic and at the end of paramedic school, I was met with the challenge of passing the NREMT-P. I had just finished up a year of mostly online learning due to the pandemic, with very limited clinical and hands-on practice experience. My initial education, unfortunately, had many bumps along the road where teachers regularly called in sick, jumped between topics, and lacked any organization. After taking the NREMT-P written three times and failing, I had taken a refresher and was eager but nervous to get back to testing. I had then been introduced to Dr. Chris Caulkins, who I can not say enough about. Chris dug deep into the roots of my education, experiences, and preparation to see where I could improve before taking the exam again. Chris did everything he could to work around my schedule and create a rigorous plan for me to be successful at the NREMT-P. Chris worked with me a countless amount of hours, where it began to seem there was nothing else that could be studied. He worked with me as a team to conquer the knowledge, skills, and confidence to pass the exam.  Throughout my entire testing process, Chris stood right by my side. He worked with me to tackle interpreting the questions piece by piece to guarantee any details hadn't gone unnoticed, under, or overthought. He coached me to beat an enormous amount of test anxiety and fear of never being successful at becoming a paramedic. I truly feel that without his help, I would not be the paramedic that I am today. I know that I will remember things he has taught me for my entire career. My entire experience with Chris was rewarding. I feel that it has not only made me a good paramedic but also made me better as an individual. I would highly recommend Chris to anyone."

Casey Kamm, FF, NRP

Grand Chute Fire Department

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"Chris is an amazing educator, coach, and mentor! But beyond that, he cares about individuals as more than just tutoring students. He can close any student’s educational gap(s) in all levels of emergency medical services training. He also effectively diagnoses other challenges of environmental, mental, and emotional types and coaches people through those. This combination doesn’t just produce people who passed an exam but people who are better for the experience in their mental health, personal habits, and EMS practice. Our department engaged him in tutoring services for dedicated firefighters with promising futures who struggled to pass the NREMT-P written exam. He partnered with them to give them the tools and support necessary to be successful with the exam, but also in their approach to paramedicine and future learning."

Kelly Hanink, Assistant Fire Chief / Fire Marshal

Grand Chute Fire Department