Jennifer J. Armstrong, LPC-MHSP

Director, Office of Crisis and Suicide Prevention
Division of Mental Health Services
Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Nashville, Tennessee

jennifer.armstrong@tn.gov

With over 20 years experience in behavioral healthcare, Jennifer has experience in therapeutic foster care, school-based, residential, outpatient and crisis services.
 
Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and a Masters of Science in Clinical Social Work from the University of Tennessee at Memphis.  She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider Designation.
 
Jennifer joined the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in March 2020 as Director of the Office of Crisis Services and Suicide Prevention. As a member of the Division of Mental Health Services (DMHS) leadership team, she provides vision, administration, and oversight of all DMHS Crisis Services and Suicide Prevention programs.
Prior to her current role, Jennifer served as Vice President, Customer Engagement Operations for Centerstone, providing oversight and leadership for Customer Engagement Initiatives, including day-to-day management of a multi-site engagement operation for Centerstone: customer satisfaction, enhancing the customer experience, and improving the customer journey throughout the engagement process.
She joined the Centerstone-Tennessee team in 2008 as Triage Coordinator, responsible for expanding Centerstone’s Crisis Call Center programs and establishing best practices as this program expanded nationally, including being a provider for the National Football League Lifeline. She was promoted to Director, Crisis Care Services in 2013, with continued oversight of Tennessee’s Crisis Care Services and Tennessee’s federal suicide prevention grant programs.
Jennifer currently serves on the Standards, Training and Practice Committee for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and is a Board Member for the National Association of Crisis Organization Directors. She is a Site Accreditor for the International Council of Helplines and was named a 2016  Healthcare Hero by the Nashville Business Journal.

Sessions

Opening General Session -- Celebrating the Miracles
A Celebration of Crisis Heroes