It is well-known that youth suicide is on the rise. You could shake your head and think about how sad that is, or take action and do something.
You have the power to change the future. But to do something, you have to know what to do. The idea of starting a suicide prevention program for your school district can be overwhelming. There is so much information available it’s hard to know where to begin.
If you have read A Culture of Caring: A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools (K-12), you already have the information you need to get started. If it’s hard to find the time to read a book, It might be easier to absorb it in chunks.
This article from the Education Development Center (EDC) lists steps you can take to get started. The one flaw, in my opinion, is that “promote protective factors” should be at the top of the list. Developing and maintaining a culture of caring is one of the most powerful tools for prevention that schools have.
Another is MTSS. A multi-tiered system of supports is valuable for identifying at-risk youth and providing consistent support. It is one of the strategies being applied to suicide prevention in schools by EDC (Education Development Center) Solutions.
Now that you have a list of steps to take and an organization that can walk you through it, what are you waiting for? Your knowledge is power.
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.
