Suicide prevention advocates celebrated the initiation of the nation's first suicide and crisis hotline, 988, for people struggling with mental health challenges. The number connects callers to a counselor trained to listen and provide support. They can also connect the caller to emergency services in their area.
Other options for those in crisis vary. Schools often request help from mobile crisis teams for students experiencing a mental health crisis. You may have noticed walk-in crisis clinics in your town or city. Some communities offer peer-based crisis services staffed by teens trained in crisis counseling. Hospital-based psychiatric emergency services are available for those needing immediate intervention.
Look here for more information on crisis centers and services.
What Happens After the Crisis Call
Schools must be prepared to assist and support students who have experienced a crisis. It is not enough to react to the situation. Defined protocols that include clear and specific plans are required.
- Designate who makes decisions regarding the safety of the student in crisis.
- Plan how assessment and management information will be documented and communicated.
- Train school staff in established protocols and recommendations for how to respond when a student may have suicidal ideation.
- Identify the school's mental health professional trained in crisis intervention and risk assessment.
- List procedures for follow-up with the suicidal student and their families.
- A decision-making plan should be in place regarding the involvement of at-risk youths' parents. In cases of abuse or neglect, it may be best not first to involve parents or family. In these cases, the plan should provide ways to involve another responsible adult (e.g., a guidance counselor).
- An individualized safety plan is a critical element. It should include
- Self-care strategies
- Emergency contact information
- Education for individuals and families about the importance of removing or limiting access to potentially lethal methods of self-harm.
- Educate youths and their families regarding the importance of support services.
- Identify barriers to entering or receiving treatment (e.g., transportation, financial, or language difficulties; lack of insurance; work hours; attitudes about mental health services; or distrust of authorities).
- Resolve barriers with the youth and family.
- Follow-up contact should be regular and ongoing until the youth's risk, verified by a suicide prevention–trained clinician, is being safely managed outside of the context of the crisis response.
Engage at-risk youth in their own care
John Draper, PhD, the Director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, promotes person-centered care. Consider the person in crisis as a member of their care team. Include them in decision-making when appropriate, and solicit feedback. Empowering them to make their own choices will help them feel more in control of their lives.
A
Culture of Caring: A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools (K-12) was
created as a resource for educators who want to know how to get started and
what steps to take to create a suicide prevention plan that will work for their
schools and districts. It is written from my perspective as a school principal
and survivor of suicide loss, not an expert in psychology or counseling. I hope
that any teacher, school counselor, psychologist, principal, or district
administrator can pick up this book, flip to a chapter, and easily find helpful
answers to the questions they are likely to have about what schools can do to
prevent suicide.
