Mackenzie Gates

Academic Associate,

WATTS School of Social Work Faculty Semester Hires- JM

[email protected]

Mail code: 3920

Campus: Dtphx
‌

Long Bio

Mackenzie is an experienced social work professional and Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, specializing in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and adolescent mental health. She obtained her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Social Work from Arizona State University.

Currently serving as the Prevention Coordinator at Teen Lifeline in Phoenix, Arizona, Mackenzie coordinates partnerships with over 200 districts, schools, and community agencies to implement comprehensive suicide prevention strategies. Her work focuses on peer-led initiatives and strengthening protective factors. Mackenzie also oversees the development and evaluation of multiple prevention programs and workshops, focused on increased help-seeking behaviors and intervention skills.

In addition to her role as Prevention Coordinator, she supervises teen Peer Counselor volunteers and master-level Prevention Specialists, providing oversight on crisis calls and texts that total over 40,000 annually. Her background includes developing and delivering trainings on adolescent mental health topics, enhancing knowledge and skills among both students and adults.

Curriculum Vitae

Courses

2026 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
SWU 250	Stress Management Tools I

2025 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
SWU 250	Stress Management Tools I
SWU 250	Stress Management Tools I

2025 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
SWU 250	Stress Management Tools I
SWU 250	Stress Management Tools I

2024 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
SWU 349	Stress Management Tools II

Presentations

● Undergraduate Courses

ASU101-CSE: The ASU Experience

SWU349- Stress Management Tools II

Teaching and Instructional Activity
- Peer Counselor Training Course: Working with Youth in Crisis
  - ○ Sexuality and Gender Identity
  - ○ Abuse, Sexual Assault and Dating Violence
  - ○ Suicide and Self-Injury
  - ○ Mental Health and Mental Illness
  - ○ Coping Skills, Replacement Techniques and Solving Unsolvable Problems
- Workshops for Adolescents:
  - ○ Suicide Prevention
  - ○ Stress Management and Coping Skills
  - ○ Conflict Resolution and Health Relationships
  - ○ Grief and Loss
  - ○ American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: More Than Sad
- Workshops for Parents, Educators, Clinicians and other Professionals:
  - ○ Suicide Prevention
  - ○ Stress Management and Coping Skills for Youth
  - ○ Conflict Resolution and Healthy Relationships
  - ○ Conflict Resolution and Student Mediation
  - ○ Communication Skills and Adolescents
  - ○ Grief and Loss: Tools for Working with Students
  - ○ Suicide Clinical Intervention Skills Training
  - ○ Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
  - ○ American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: More Than Sad
  - ○ LivingWorks: SafeTALK
  - ○ LivingWorks: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
- eLearnings
  - ○ Teen Lifeline: Suicide Intervention Skills
  - ○ Teen Lifeline: Postvention, What to do After a Suicide or Crisis
  - ○ Teen Lifeline: Self-Care for Educators

Development of New Curriculum

Suicide Prevention with Adolescents
Stress Management and Coping Skills for Youth
Conflict Resolution and Healthy Relationships
Conflict Resolution and Student Mediation
Suicide Clinical Intervention Skills Training
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
Impact of Trauma on Learning and Behavior