MAKING E

DUCATORS

PART

NERS IN YO

UTH

SUICID

E PREVENTI

ON

TRA ININ

G O

F TRA IN

ERS

YOUR

TRAIN

ING

MATERIA

LS

2

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF TEEN SUICIDE…

• Non-profit organization, started in 2005 by Scott Fritz and Don Quigley

• Mission is to provide public awareness information about youth suicide to educators, parents, students & mental health professionals

• Believe in shared responsibility for youth suicide prevention, with clarify of roles

• All training materials on SPRC “Best Practices Registry”

• Program initiatives in 41 states

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WHAT THIS TRAINING WILL DO:• Reinforce why school-based suicide prevention is important

• Review the Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide

Prevention

• Outline a 30 minute training agenda

• Address specific issues related to suicide prevention training

• Address your questions

• Provide additional resources

4

BY T

HE EN

D OF

THIS

TRAIN

ING

5

You

shou

ld fe

el b

ette

r pre

pare

d to

pre

sent

a

vers

ion

of th

e M

akin

g Educa

tors

Par

tner

s tra

inin

g.

HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU PROVIDING TRAINING ABOUT YOUTH

SUICIDE?

1 - Very Uncomfortable

Very Comfortable - 10

6

THE P

LACE T

O STA

RT…

Consid

erin

g you

r own fe

elin

gs firs

t.

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PERSONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

• What I understand about suicide is…

• What I don’t understand about suicide is…

• What would help me understand suicide better is…

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RESOURCES TO FACILITATE UNDERSTANDING

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

www.sprc.org

BOOKS:

TEEN SUICIDE RISK

King, Foster, & Rogalski (2013) Guilford Press

WHY PEOPLE DIE BY SUICIDE

Thomas Joiner (2005) Harvard University Press

ADOLESCENT SUICIDE ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION

Berman, Jobes & Silverman (2007) American Psychological Association

WHEN NOTHING MATTERS ANYMORE

Bev Cobain (2007) Free Spirit Press

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WHY

TALK

ABOUT

SUICID

E?

.

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IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING SUICIDE- RELATED CONTENT

• In 2013•41,149 people died by suicide •2,134 children and teens died by suicide (CDC, WISQARS, 2015)

• In 2014• 17% HS students thought seriously about suicide• 13% made a plan, 8% attempted (CDC, YRBSS, 2015)

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GEORGIA SUICIDE STATISTICS

• In 2013•1,212 Georgians died by suicide•73 youth died by suicide (10-19 years old)

(CDC, WISQARS, 2015)

• Suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death for 10 to 24 year olds.

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ABOUT THE MAKING EDUCATORS PARTNERS COURSE…

• Developed in response to legislation passed in NJ in 2006

• Initial online version launched in 2008• Middle school module added 2011• Newly revised March 2015

• Number of people who have taken online version:> 70,000

• Number of person trained with in-person version: 5,750

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ABOUT THE MAKING EDUCATORS PARTNERS COURSE…

What we know from course evaluation data:

• 22% of participants had a personal loss

• 27-33% of participants had loss in a professional circumstance

• 48-50% of educators had interacted with a suicidal student

• 44% had referred a student for help

• 98% of participants would refer course to a colleague

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COURSE FOUNDATIONAL ASSUMPTIONS

• The school as a ‘Competent Community’:

“In our school we care about each other’s needs and we

know where and how to get help if a community member is in need”

• The most effective prevention programs impact the culture of the school

• The mission of the school is to provide a safe environment for learning, not become a counseling center

• Suicide prevention activities can fit into the context of already established programs to enhance resiliency

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, participants will have:

• Greater awareness of the problem of youth suicide

• Better understanding of the role of educators in prevention

• Increased strategies for dealing with potentially at-risk students

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DIFFERENCES: ONLINE VS. IN-PERSON COURSE

ONLINE FEATURE INPERSON

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NO

CAN ADMINISTER SCHOOL

READINESS SURVEY

YES

NODISCUSSION OF

LOCAL RESOURCES

YES

NO LOCAL /STATE DATA YES

YES ABILITY TO SELF-PACE NO

EMBEDDED VIDEO CLIPS DISCRETIONARY2.5 - 3 HOURS LENGTH 30

minutes

MANDATORY PRE/POST TEST OPTIONAL

INTEGRATION OF ADULT LEARNING THEORY

• Validates skill and knowledge of the audience

• Contextualizes suicide prevention into the mission of the school

• Includes personal accounts to engage audience emotionally with content

• School-based vignettes translate informational content into its practical application

• Important content is reiterated as example of reinforcement learning

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INTEGRATION OF TRAINING PRINCIPLES

• Provides a variety of training experiences - data, didactic, personal experiences, video, acronym – to address different learning styles of participants

• Slide content is limited

• Starts and ends on time

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CONTENT

ORGANIZAT

ION

Gettin

g it to

gether

.

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KEY COURSE CONTENT

• Addresses “critical but limited role of the school”

• Avoids discussion of mental illness

• Minimizes ‘clinical’ jargon

• Consistent with Lifelines:• Learn signs of suicide• Identify students who may need help• Refer them to designated resources

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NOTE PAGES FOR SLIDE DECK

.• Copy of slide with number at top of page

• Core message of slide at top right

• Trainer notes• What to SAY• What to DO

• Room for notes in margin

.

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REVIEWING CONTENT ORGANIZATIONContent Slide Numbers Time Allocation

Introductory Material 1-5 3 minutes

Competent Community 6 1 minute

Reviewing teacher’s role 7 - 8 2 minutes

Answering questions 9 - 11 3 minutes

Defining the problem 12 - 13 1 minute

Reviewing risk factors and warning signs 14 - 20 10 minutes

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REVIEWING CONTENT ORGANIZATIONContent Slide Numbers Time Allocation

3 steps for helping a student at risk 21 2 minutes

Understanding protective factors 22 - 23 3 minutes

Homework 24 - 25 3 minutes

Ending – Stacy video clip 26 2 minutes

Resources 27 - 29 1 minute

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NOTES T

O TRAIN

ERS:

THING

S TO

CO

NSIDER

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THE SPECIAL ISSUES IN SUICIDE TRAINING

• The topic intrinsically carries stigma – many in audience may not want to be there!

• Survivors of suicide WILL be present in the audience

• Participants need permission to ‘zone out’ if needed

• Training needs to be paced to allow participants to ‘come up for air”

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THE SPECIAL ISSUES IN SUICIDE TRAINING

• Topical, newsworthy events - suicide, school shootings - need to be referenced

• Personal issues ALWAYS surface in questions at training’s conclusion

• If a school has had a suicide within last academic year, content will need to be adjusted to include information about being a ‘survivor school’

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WORDS TO CAREFULLY CONSIDER

• “Unsuccessful” attempt

• “Committed” suicide

• “Victim” of suicide

• “Self-mutilation” v. Self-Injury, Self-Harm

• “Closure” related to discussions about grief after suicide

• Mental “disorder”

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THINK ABOUT…• It really works well to have a school administrator review policies

and procedures. If there isn’t time during this meeting - or they’re not up to date - suggest they get discussed at a subsequent faculty meeting

• Although you probably won’t start on time, you sure better end on time!

• Know what to do if your audiovisual materials don’t work the way you expect

• Be sure to test sound on videos before you start!

• Bring resource materials to distribute

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TRIC

KS OF

THE

TRADE

Intr

oduct

ory

Exer

cise

30

TRIC

KS OF

THE

TRADE

Comin

g Up fo

r Air

31

TRIC

KS OF

THE

TRADE

Closi

ng Illu

stra

tion

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REVISITING THIS QUESTION:

HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU PROVIDING TRAINING ABOUT YOUTH

SUICIDE?

1- Very Uncomfortable

Very Comfortable- 10

33

PUTT

ING T

HEORY IN

TO

ACTION

TRAIN

ING D

EMONST

RATIO

N

34

MAKING EDUCATORS PARTNERS IN SUICIDE

PREVENTION

Lifelines:A School-Based Youth

Suicide Prevention Initiative

35

{ADD YOUR NAME & AFFILIATION HERE}

36

Educational Objectives

Review benefits

Correct myths

Present accurate data

Outline roles

Discuss interaction with students

Provide additional resources

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Why Suicide Prevention is Important

Second leading cause of death overall for teens in the USA.

2,134 children and teens died by suicide in 2013. (CDC, WISQARS, 2015)

For every suicide death, there are between 50-200 attempts116,211 self-inflicted injuries for teens in 2013.

(CPSC, NEISS, 2015)

18% HS students seriously considered suicide, 13% made a plan, 8% attempted in 2013.

(CDC, YRBSS, 2015)

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Georgia Suicide Statistics

• In 2013• 1,212 Georgians died by suicide• 73 youth died by suicide (10-19 years old)

(CDC, WISQARS, 2015)

• Suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death for 10 to 24 year olds.

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“Competent School Community”

All members of the school community areconcerned about the welfare of each other

They know how to obtainhelp for those who need it

THE CONTEXT FOR PREVENTION

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Staff Responsibility

Understand the importance of your critical but limited role in the identification of students at-risk for suicide

Familiarize yourself with school policies and procedures that address this issue

Learn information that facilitates identification of at-risk students

Listen to students, verbally and nonverbally, for warning signs

Identify those students who may be at elevated risk based on that identification

Refer those students to appropriate resources41

Your Role Simplified

Learningsigns of risk in students

Identifyingat-risk students

Referringto appropriate resources

42

Are School Programs That Address Suicide Safe?

43

Answering CommonQuestions

Can Talking about Suicide Plant the Idea in the Minds of Vulnerable Teens?

44

Answering CommonQuestions

Is Talking about Suicide Just a Way for Someone to Get Attention?

45

Answering CommonQuestions

ATTEMPTED SUICIDEis a potentially self-injurious act

Completed with at least some intentto die as a result of the act

Defining the Problem

SUICIDEis an attempt to solve a problem

of intense emotional painwith impaired problem-solving skills

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Characteristics of Suicide

1. Alternative to problem perceived as unsolvable by any other means

2. Crisis thinking colors problem solving

3. Person is often ambivalent

4. Suicidal solution has an irrational component

5. Suicide is a form of communication

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Red - Warning Signs

Risk Factors / Warning Signs

Yellow - Risk Factors

Green - Protective Factors

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Risk Factors for Youth Suicide

Demographic

Clinical

‘Stressors’

Accessto Means

PersonalityFactors

Family

49

Risk Factors

DEMOGRAPHIC Age Sex Gender Identity Race

CLINICAL Psychiatric diagnosis Drug / alcohol use Previous attempt

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Risk Factors

FAMILY History of suicide

EXPOSURE To suicide (personally or in media) Death of peer under any circumstance

RECENT, SEVERE STRESSORS Loss Trouble Change – transition

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52

THE PERFECT STORM

FF

Warning Signs

eelingseelings

AACC

TTSS

ctionsctions

hangeshanges

hreatshreats

ituationsituations53

Threatening suicide

Looking for access to means

Talking or writing about death, dying, suicide

Previous attempt seriousenough to requirehospitalization

Students at Higher Risk

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3 Steps to Help

RECOGNIZE THE WARNING SIGNS

EXPRESS CONCERN & SEEK CLARIFICATION

Provide support.

REFER STUDENTProvide a warm handoff to appropriate resources.

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Protective Factors

Contact with a caring adult

Sense of connection orparticipation in school

Positive self-esteem andcoping skills

Access to and care formental / physical / substancedisorders

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Fostering Protective Factors

Teach students it is okay to ask for help

Give students permission to talk abouttraumatic events like suicide

Help students identify trusted adults

Encourage participation inschool & community activities

Acknowledge student efforts

Be a good listener, as often as you can57

So Here’s Your Homework:

1. Review school policy & procedures

2. Examine personal attitudes and values

3. Remember your role in the competent community

4. Review curriculum for ways in which you can foster protective factors (resiliency)

58

Remember:Your Role Simplified

Learningsigns of risk in students

Identifyingat-risk students

Referringto appropriate resources

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www.sptsusa.orgSociety for the Prevention of Teen SuicideSponsor of this program, focuses on resources for the competent school community, including Lifelines,

an evidence-based suicide prevention program for schools. Free on-line educator training!

www.suicidepreventionlifeline.orgNational Suicide Prevention LifelineFree confidential, 24-hour hotline, free materials

www.sprc.orgSuicide Prevention Resource CenterResources for states, on-line library, best practices registry

www.suicidology.orgAmerican Association of SuicidologyData, resources, links, journal, national conference

www.thetrevorproject.org/The Trevor ProjectSpecific information for LGBTQ youth

www.afsp.orgAmerican Foundation for Suicide PreventionSurvivor resources, research, and awareness

Web Resources

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It’s in the Shelter of Each Other…

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MAKING EDUCATORS PARTNERS IN SUICIDE

PREVENTION

Lifelines: A School-Based Youth

Suicide Prevention Initiative

CREATED BY

Maureen M. Underwood, LCSW John Kalafat, Ph.D

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TIME F

OR QUESTI

ONS

Q&A… Q

&A… Q

&A… Q

&A… Q

&A…

Q&A… Q

&A…

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