Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention

Program Name (in ABC order with website hyperlink)

Description &

Legislative Requirements

Type of Resource

Audience

ACT on FACTS: Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention  

From the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide:

• Two-hour online interactive training program, designed in a series of modules
• Addresses responsibilities of educators in the process of identification and referral of potentially suicidal youth
• Focuses on practical realities and challenges inherent in the school setting through various training formats
• Program highlights four categories of youth who may be at elevated risk for suicide: youth involved in bullying, who self-identify as LGBTQ, identified as gifted and talented, and/or students returning to school after a suicide attempt 
• Training includes optional content that addresses suicide in elementary and middle schools
• Additional module includes the stories of individual survivors of suicide loss as well as a high school that experienced an episode of contagion
• Focus in telling these stories is to highlight the importance of emphasizing resilience and protective factors after a loss event

Training

MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

 PSC

SSS Administrators BHC

AFSP Model School Policy on Suicide Prevention

From the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP):

• Gives educators and school administrators clear guidance on how to implement suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies in their schools and districts
• In collaboration with the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and The Trevor Project, the newly updated Model is research-based and easily adaptable for schools serving students in Kindergarten through the 12th grade
• Includes specific, actionable steps to support school personnel; sample language for student handbooks; suggestions for involving parents and guardians in suicide prevention; tips for managing student re-entry after a mental health crisis; and guidance for addressing in-school suicide attempts and supporting the school community following a suicide loss

• Complements state law requirements and helps schools achieve an inclusive, comprehensive suicide prevention plan

Framework

 MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

PSC

 SSS Administrators BHC

AFSP More Than Sad

• Teaches teens to recognize the signs of depression in themselves and others, challenges existing stigma surrounding depression, and demystifies the treatment process
• Teaches parents how to recognize signs of depression and other mental health problems, initiate a conversation about mental health with their child, and get help. Material in both English and Spanish
• Teaches educators to recognize signs of mental health distress in students and refer them for help; complies with the requirements for teacher education suicide prevention training in many states

Film: Preventing Teen Suicide

• Intended for educators and other school personnel; covers mental health conditions, the warning signs of suicide, and the steps they can take to get help for at-risk students.

Film: Teen Depression

• Intended for teens, parents, and educators; teaches students about depression, demystifies treatment, and encourages students who are struggling to seek help.

Training

Educators

 PSC

SSS Administrators

AFSP Signs Matter: Early Detection

• Online suicide prevention training for K-12 educators
• Training presents scientifically based information on a variety of topics related to youth suicide, alongside best practice recommendations drawn from experts in the mental health and education fields
• Science sheds light on key questions of risk and protective factors for youth suicide, as well as the most common behavioral presentations expressed by at risk youth
• Recommendations for school personnel roles, support, referrals, and interventions are drawn from best practices of educational and mental health experts
• Fulfills many states’ requirements for educators to have two hours of instruction on suicide prevention and bullying

Training

Educators

PSC

 SSS Administrators

AFSP Talk Saves Lives

• 45-60-minute education program that provides participants with a clear understanding of suicide, including the most up-to-date research on suicide prevention, and what they can do in their communities to save lives
• Participants will learn common risk factors and warning signs associated with suicide, and how to keep themselves and others safe.
• Available in Spanish

Topics covered include:

• Scope of the Problem: The latest data on suicide in the U.S. and worldwide
• Research: Information from research on what causes people to consider suicide, as well as health, historical, and environmental factors that put individuals at risk
• Prevention: An understanding of the protective factors that lower suicide risk, and strategies for managing mental health and being proactive about self-care
• What You Can Do: Guidance on warning signs and behaviors to look for, and how to get help for someone in a suicidal crisis
• Additional LGBT module discusses the many stressors that LGBT people face, and how these contribute to a higher suicide attempt rate among this population. It also covers protective factors that can help lower the suicide rate and what communities can do to support LGBT people

Training

Educators

 PSC

SSS Administrators

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Understand how attitudes affect views on suicide and prevention
• Provide assistance and suicide first aid to a person at risk
• Identify the elements of a suicide safety plan and the actions needed to implement it
• Value improving and integrating suicide prevention resources in the community
• Recognize other aspects of suicide prevention, including self-care
• 2-day, 15-hour workshop led by two LivingWorks registered trainers
• Includes presentations, videos, group discussions, and skills practice and development
• Contact the Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA) in the school district’s area to find out if they provide ASIST training

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

ASK about Suicide to Save a Life Gatekeeper Training

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Understand suicide and suicidal behavior
• Identify the risk and protective factors and warning signs
• Apply basic suicide prevention skills (ask about suicide, know where and how to refer a person for help)
• 1¼-hour video training that provides certification for teachers in Texas
• 1-hour video training for informal settings where certification is not needed
• 1½ to 4-hour workshops taught by certified trainers for community members and others
• Virtual training now available
• AS+K Advanced Training this Fall 2020 will include specific, actionable steps to support school personnel; suggestions for involving parents and guardians in suicide prevention; tips for managing student re-entry after a mental health crisis; and guidance for addressing in-school suicide attempts and supporting the school community following a suicide loss

Training-

(This Fall 2020)

MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

At-Risk (Kognito) Training

• One- to two-hour online trainings
• Interactive professional development program that teaches PK-12 educators about mental health and suicide prevention
• Discusses psychological distress, how it impacts students, and what to do when concerned about a student
• Improves student mental health, academic performance and school safety
• Trainings for elementary, middle, and high school educators

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

Be A Link

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Identify the warning signs and risk and protective factors of suicide
• Know resources to help people at risk and how to access them
• Talk with teens about suicide and suicide prevention
• Talk with a young person at risk for suicide or seeking help
• Understand school liabilities, policies, and procedures
• 2-hour training
• Trainings for school staff, first responders, and faith leaders are 2½ hours.
• Trainings can involve youth peer leaders
• 2-day trainer-of-trainer workshops are available
• A youth/teen peer leader training is also available

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development

• Identifies, recommends, and disseminates practices/programs for youth, families and communities that, based on scientific evaluations, have strong evidence of effectiveness
• Practices/programs rated as either Promising, Model or Model Plus
• Provides interactive search function that enables you to search based on specific criteria and then browse through a wide range of practices/programs that match those criteria
• Each result will indicate the practice/program rating

Registry

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators BHC

Blues Program

• A school-based prevention program for adolescents with depressive symptoms or adolescents who are at risk of onset of major depression. 
• Delivered by 1 or 2 Facilitators who are familiar with cognitive behavioral methods of prevention and treating depression.
• The program is delivered to groups of 4-8 adolescents, in one-hour sessions over 6 weeks with home practice assignments included. 
• Group sessions include: building group rapport, increasing participant involvement in pleasant activities, learning and practicing cognitive restricting techniques, and developing response plans in future life stressors. 
• Please note, if a youth’s assessment reveals current major depression and/or serious suicidal ideation, he/she should be referred for appropriate treatment.

Intervention

BHC

PSC

Bridge for Resilient Youth in Treatment - BRYT

One in every five U.S. adolescents has a serious mental health condition and 10 percent will experience extended absences from school. For these students, school re-entry can be overwhelming, fraught with problems including depression, anxiety, and fear of social rejection.

Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition (BRYT, pronounced “bright”) is a model of innovative school bridge programs which equips schools to provide short-term intervention, improve student outcomes, get 85% or more of students back to their regular academic schedule, and bring dropout rates down to as low as 8%.

Each BRYT program approach staffing, space, and services with a consistent vision, while customizing the specifics for each school population and for each student.

The 3 Building Blocks of BRYT

• Space - BRYT programs run in a dedicated classroom within a school, a room that is both comfortable and work-oriented, open throughout the school day to support students in the program.
• Staffing - BRYT rooms are fully staffed always, so that students can always reach a caring, skilled adult. Each program has a program leader/clinician, who may be a social worker, counselor, or psychologist, and an academic coordinator, who may be a teacher or a classroom aide or tutor.
• Services - BRYT combines clinical support (counseling, crisis intervention, psychoeducation, referrals), academic support (partnership with teachers to develop an academic plan, help students manage school work, and provide basic tutoring), family support (frequent communication with families, crisis support, education, and leadership development), and care coordination (transition planning, coordination and communications with school staff and community providers). Providing these four services in an integrated, individualized, and sustained approach over time is the key to make a difference for students and families.
• Most students participate in these programs for 6-12 weeks, typically spending more hours in the BRYT program room at first and then more in their regular classroom as they progress.
• Average student attendance in school increases to and stays well above 80% once students enroll in the program, as compared to typically much lower rates (an average of 55-60%) in the weeks before enrollment.

Intervention

 MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

PSC

SSS

 BHC Administrators

California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

• Mission of the CEBC is to advance the effective implementation of evidence-based practices for children and families involved with the child welfare system.
• Searchable database of child welfare related programs.
• Description and information on research evidence for specific programs.
• Guidance on how to make critical decisions regarding selecting and implementing programs
• Tools and materials to provide support for choosing, implementing and sustaining a program.

Registry

Educators

 PSC

SSS Administrators BHC

C.A.T. Project

• A 16-session program for adolescents with anxiety.

CORE COMPONENTS

• Psychoeducation
• Exposure tasks
• Somatic management
• Cognitive restructuring
• Problem solving

Weekly 50-minute sessions with homework each week

Optional "Parent Companion" which informs the parent of preferred/optimal ways to respond to the anxious teen

Outcomes:

• Greater increases in number of children returning to within normal anxiety levels
• Reductions in severity of anxiety at post-treatment
• Greater likelihood of being in remission at follow up
• Fewer problems with substance abuse at long-term follow up
• Stronger therapeutic relationships predicted positive treatment outcome

Intervention

BHC

CBT for Suicide Prevention

• Learn CBT techniques to identify risk factors and plan efficient and effective treatment for clients with suicide-related ideation and/or behaviors.
• This course will present an evidence-based framework for treating clients who are suicidal.
• You will learn how to conceptualize suicidal thinking and behavior in the context of the cognitive model, assess suicide risk, and apply CBT techniques specific to the treatment and prevention of suicide.

Can only be delivered by a licensed qualified clinical behavioral health provider.

Intervention

BHC

Check and Connect

• Intervention used with K-12 students who show warning signs of disengagement with school and who are at risk of dropping out.
• At the core of Check & Connect is a trusting relationship between the student and a caring, trained mentor who both advocates for and challenges the student to keep education salient.
• Students are referred to Check & Connect when they show warning signs of disengaging from school, such as poor attendance, behavioral issues, and/or low grades.
• In Check & Connect, the "Check" component refers to the process where mentors systematically monitor student performance variables (e.g., absences, tardies, behavioral referrals, grades), while the "Connect" component refers to mentors providing personalized, timely interventions to help students solve problems, build skills, and enhance competence.
• Mentors work with caseloads of students and families for at least two years, functioning as liaisons between home and school and striving to build constructive family-school relationships.

Demonstrated outcomes of Check & Connect include:

• decrease in truancy, tardies, behavior referrals, and dropout rates;
• increase in attendance, persistence in school, credits accrued, and school completion; and
• impact on literacy.

Intervention

Educators

 PSC

SSS

Administrators

BHC

Check In - Check Out

• Improves student accountability
• Increases structure
• Improves student behavior and academics when other interventions have failed
• Provides feedback and adult support on a daily basis
• Improves and establishes daily home/school communication and collaboration
• Improves student organization, motivation, incentive, and reward
• Helps students to self-monitor and correct
• Internalizes success and accomplishment of goals
• Students get involved and excited about the program, enjoying the structure, support, and incentives of the intervention
• Leads to maintenance free responsible behaviors, habits, and effort

Intervention

Educators

 PSC

SSS

Collaborative & Proactive Solutions

• Non-punitive, non-adversarial, trauma-informed model of care that is based on the premise that challenging behavior occurs when the expectations being placed on a student exceed the student’s capacity to respond accordingly.
• Found to dramatically reduce discipline referrals, detentions, and suspensions in many schools.
• Technology for giving students practice at implementing problem solving skills.
• Strengths-based, structured, and collaboratively measures progress using youth voice in the intervention.
• According to the website, "There is no minimum educational requirement to become a provider. For a clinician or educator to become certified in the CPS model, they must participate in a 24-week CPS training program."

Supplemental

Educators

 PSC

SSS

Administrators

 BHC

Connect

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Recognize the warning signs of mental illness, substance abuse, and other risk factors that lead to suicide
• Intervene and connect a person at risk for suicide to resources
• Understand the topics related to suicide and suicide prevention, including attitudes toward suicide and the effects of stigma, national suicide data, individual and community risk and protective factors, reducing access to lethal means, safe messaging, and the influence of electronic media

A number of trainings are available:

• Connect: 1-day (6 hours) gatekeeper training
• Connect training and suicide prevention planning: 2-day training including gatekeeper training and training on planning a community suicide prevention safety net
• Train-the-Trainer: 3-day training program teaches participants how to implement the Connect gatekeeper training
• Combination: 4-day program combining the Connect training, suicide prevention planning program, and the train-the-trainer program
• Connect Youth Leaders: Partnering with Adults in Youth Suicide Prevention, a 2-day training that prepares high school youth to co- facilitate with a trained adult to provide Connect Youth Training for high school audiences

Training

Educators

 PSC

 SSS Administrators

Coping Cat

A cognitive-behavioral treatment for children in grades 2^nd through 8^th with anxiety. The program incorporates 4 components:

• Recognizing and understanding emotional and physical reactions to anxiety
• Clarifying thoughts and feelings in anxious situations
• Developing plans for effective coping
• There is also a family (parents included) treatment section.

Weekly 50-minute sessions

• 16 weeks with homework each week
• Can be done in groups of 4-5

Outcomes:

• Greater increases in number of children returning to within normal anxiety levels
• Reductions in severity of anxiety at post-treatment
• Greater likelihood of being in remission at follow up
• Fewer problems with substance abuse at long-term follow up
• Stronger therapeutic relationships predicted positive treatment outcome

Intervention

BHC

PSC

Coping Power

• For transition from 5^th to 6^th grade
• Targets students who are at risk for substance abuse
• Emphasizes social and emotional skills needed during the transition to middle school
• Designed to impact four variables:
  • lack of social competence
  • poor self-regulation and self-control
  • poor bonding with school
  • poor caregiver involvement with child

Child component:

• 22 group sessions in 5^th grade
• 12 group sessions in 6^th grade
• Four 30-minute individual sessions once every two months

Parent component:

• 11 group sessions during child’s 5^th grade year
• 5 group sessions during child’s 6^th grade year

Outcomes:

• Reduced substance use
• Reduced delinquent behavior
• Reductions in aggressive behavior at home and at school
• Reductions in aggressive behavior at school
• Improved social competence
• Better Language Arts outcomes 2 years after completing the program

Intervention

BHC

PSC

SUPS

Coping with Depression- Adolescent (CWD-A)

Cognitive behavioral group treatment intervention for actively depressed teens.

• Areas covered include relaxation techniques, countering negative thoughts, social skills, communication, and problem solving.
• Sessions conducted as a class with a mental health professional group leader.
• Skills taught using lectures, discussions, role-playing exercises and other activities. 
• Therapist and student manual are free downloads.
• Materials for a parent group that is a companion intervention for the youth served in the depression group are also available.                                          

Can only be delivered by a licensed qualified clinical behavioral health provider.

Intervention

BHC

Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM)

• Two-hour online course which focuses on how to reduce access to the methods people use to die by suicide.
• Covers how to: identify people who could benefit from lethal means counseling; ask about their access to lethal methods; and work with them – and their families – to reduce access.
• Although this course is primarily designed for mental health professionals, others who work with people at risk for suicide, like social service professionals and health care providers, may also benefit from taking it.

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

• Systematic therapy that organizes treatment into stages and goals, or targets.
• Goals of the first stage of DBT focus on decreasing life-threatening behaviors, including addressing depression, suicidality, substance dependence, and PSTD.
• Skills taught in DBT groups by a mental health professional and focus on improving behavioral, emotional, and cognitive instability.
• DBT groups focus on the development of the following four skills: mindfulness meditation, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance.                                                             

Can only be delivered by a licensed qualified clinical behavioral health provider.

Intervention

BHC

HOPE Squads

• School-based peer support team that partners with local mental health agencies.
• Peers select students who are trustworthy and caring individuals.
• Squad members are trained to watch for at-risk students, provide friendship, identify suicide-warning signs, and seek help from adults.
• NOT taught to act as counselors but are educated on recognizing suicide warning signs and how to properly and respectfully report concerns to an adult.
• Students must get a permission form signed by their parents and go through training after being invited to be a member.
• The goal is to reduce self-destructive behavior and youth suicide by training, building, and creating change in schools and communities.

The objectives are to:

• Train students and staff in schools to recognize   suicide-warning signs and act upon those warnings to break the code of silence.
• Train students and staff to identify adolescents with undetected, untreated, or emerging mental disorders.
• Build positive relationships among peers and faculty in schools to facilitate acceptance for students seeking help.
• Build strong relationships with local mental health agencies and communities while educating students, parents, and school staff about available community mental health resources.
• Change the school culture regarding suicide by reducing stigmas about suicide and mental health.
• Change community perceptions of mental health by creating awareness about suicide and the tools available to prevent suicide.

Intervention

Training

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PSC

SSS

BHC Administrators Educators

Hazelden Lifelines®

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Understand the facts about suicide and their roles in suicide prevention
• Understand how to involve parents and guardians as partners
• Gather information about a student’s risk for suicide and understand the warning signs of suicide
• Talk with at-risk students and assist them in getting more help as needed

This is a whole-school program with three components:

• Lifelines: Prevention
• Lifelines: Intervention
• Lifelines: Postvention

Training

 MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

 PSC

 SSS Administrators BHC

Lifelines Intervention: Helping Students at Risk for Suicide

• Comprehensive, schoolwide suicide prevention program for middle and high school students.
• Goal is to promote a caring, competent school community in which help-seeking is encouraged and modeled, and suicidal behavior is recognized as an issue that cannot be kept secret.
• Curriculum incorporates elements of the social development model and employs interactive teaching techniques, including role-play.
• Health teachers and/or guidance counselors teach the lessons within the regular school health curriculum.

Supplemental

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA)

• Teaches individuals who work or live with adolescents (ages 12 - 18) how to help these youth when they experience a mental health or substance use crisis.
• Training includes identifying risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance use problems that may start in adolescence; information on a 5-step action plan to help someone in crisis; and where to turn for help – professional, peer, and self-help resources.
• Teaches about recovery and resiliency – the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better and use their strengths to stay well.

Adult Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA)

• Teaches individuals how to help someone who is experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.
• Training includes identifying risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems; information on depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, and addiction disorders; a 5-step action plan to help someone developing a mental health problem or in crisis; and where to turn for help – professional, peer, and self-help resources.
• Teaches about recovery and resiliency – the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better and use their strengths to stay well.       

Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA)

• This in-person training teaches high school students about common mental health challenges and what they can do to support their own mental health and help a friend who is struggling.
• It’s equipping young people with the knowledge and skills they need to foster their own wellness and to support each other
• It is designed to be delivered in schools or community sites in three interactive classroom sessions of 90 minutes each or six sessions of 45 minutes each.

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC)

• Website that offers array of numerous mental and behavioral health trainings and educational aides to better improve the knowledge of mental health professionals, educators, and agencies.
• Offers webinars and community-based opportunities to fulfill subject matter interest and required trainings for agencies.
• Maintains a culturally and linguistic competent approach to all offered trainings.

Supplemental

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Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators BHC

My Professional Learning

• My Professional Learning, powered by Region 10 Education Service Center, is a responsive online education solution designed to give administrators, teachers and support staff just-in-time effective professional development.
• Interactive courses created by our professional consultants' model transformative teaching, learning and leadership practices.
• Also offer courses developed by TEA-approved 3rd Party Providers like CE Credits Online, The Master Teacher, Model Teaching, and Stetson & Associates.
• Offers a 1-hour suicide prevention course which provides a detailed overview of youth suicide prevention. Participants will learn ways to recognize at-risk/high-risk students and early warning signs as well as ideas on how to intervene and protect students from a possible threat of suicide.

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS

Administrators

NAMI - Ending the Silence

• Engaging presentations that help audience members learn about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if you or a loved one are showing symptoms of a mental health condition.
• Presentations include two leaders: one who shares an informative presentation and a young adult with a mental health condition who shares their journey of recovery.
• 50-minute presentation designed for middle and high school students that includes warning signs, facts and statistics and how to get help for themselves or a friend.
• 1-hour presentation for school staff members that includes information about warning signs, facts and statistics, how to approach students and how to work with families.

Training

Educators

 PSC

SSS Administrators

National Association of School Psychologists - Online Resources and Publications

• Website provides handouts for parents and teachers which contain up-to-date information and proven, solutions-based strategies for home and classroom applications.
• All handouts are taken from Helping Children at Home and School III, which contains over 280 total handouts contributed by leading experts and experienced professionals.

Supplemental

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Educators

PSC

SSS

BHC

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

• Offers a number of resources for educators and other school personnel on child trauma. 
• The Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators, developed in 2008, provides school administrators, teachers, staff, and concerned parents with basic information about working with traumatized children in the school system.
• Relevant webinars NTCSN offers on TIC:
  • Understanding the Intersection between Cyberbullying and Trauma - https://tinyurl.com/yyvft9em  
  • Psychological First Aid for Schools - https://tinyurl.com/y4qb6eyr   
  • Secondary Traumatic Stress for Educators - https://tinyurl.com/y3q5zrwa
  • Trauma-Informed IEPs: Differential Diagnosis and Trauma-informed Assessment in Schools - https://tinyurl.com/y2adbzu5  
  • Implementing EBP in School Interventions - https://tinyurl.com/yXnynhn2
  • Schools and Trauma - https://tinyurl.com/y3ltp7co
  • Sudden Death on a School Campus: Impact and Response - https://tinyurl.com/yyd8drha
  • Sticks and Stones Will Break my Bones and Words CAN Hurt Me - https://tinyurl.com/y53lcoXo
  • Engaging Schools: Developing School/Mental Health Partnerships - https://tinyurl.com/y5q47735
  • Schools and Grief: Helping Students Cope with Death - https://tinyurl.com/y4aycqfl
  • Response and Recovery after School Violence - https://tinyurl.com/y5bemjXz  
  • Invisible Wounds: The Impact of Community Violence on Children and Youth in Schools - https://tinyurl.com/yXju8mph
• To subscribe to the NCTSN e-Bulletin or IMPACT newsletter contact: help@nctsn.org

Supplemental

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Educators

 PSC

 SSS Administrators BHC

Plan, Prepare, Prevent: The SOS Signs of Suicide  Online Gatekeeper Training

• Provides contextual information about mental illness, suicide, and risk and protective factors.
• Teaches participants to recognize and respond to the warning signs of depression and suicide. 
• Intended audience is middle and high school staff members, or staff at other organizations looking to deepen their understanding of youth mental health and considering implementing an evidence-based prevention program.
• Training takes approximately 90 minutes to complete, and has videos and interactive quizzes throughout the three sections

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools

• Toolkit developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to assist high schools and school districts in designing and implementing strategies to prevent suicide and promote behavioral health.
• Includes tools to implement a multifaceted suicide prevention program that responds to the needs and cultures of students.

Framework

MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

 PSC

SSS Administrators BHC

Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Recognize the warning signs of suicide
• How to talk with someone who may be at risk for suicide and persuade them to get help
• Refer at-risk individuals to appropriate resources for help

QPR comes in different versions for the following audiences:

• Individuals: Online
• Organizations: Online or in- person

Extended learning options are available beyond basic QPR courses.

Training

Educators

 PSC

 SSS Administrators

Response

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Recognize the signs of depression and suicide
• Understand the attitudes and behaviors that can hinder help-seeking
• Understand the steps for seeking help for oneself and others
• Identify and use “crisis contacts” at the school who can offer immediate help

The program includes:

• Implementation Manual with specific instructions
• Student Component with four 50- minute lesson plans
• In-Service Manual with instructions for conducting a 2- hour staff training

Additional components include Parent Workshop instructions and PowerPoint presentation, and a Juvenile Justice Edition Youth Component.

Intervention

Educators

 PSC

SSS Administrators

Ripple Effects

• Strengths-based assessment tools
• Digital planning tools
• Multi-tiered learner-directed skill building
• Data tracking tools embedded
• PK-12 can be implemented by paraprofessionals

Outcomes

• Reduced school suspensions
• Greater high school retention
• Greater attendance
• Improved GPA
• Reduced depression
• Greater empathy
• Improved problem solving

Intervention

Educators

 PSC

SSS

Safe Schools

• Completely automates your staff and student training.
• Access high quality courses on important school safety topics by leading experts. 
• Implementation is fast and easy, and your subscription-based system can be set up in just a few hours.
• Courses are written specifically for school staff members and students.
• Annual subscription includes access to hundreds of school safety courses, written by industry experts.

*This training platform may include Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention depending on the products purchased by LEAs.

Training

Educators

 PSC

 SSS Administrators

safeTALK

• 4-hour gatekeeper training for people who want to become alert to the dangers of suicide in a convenient timeframe.
• Program used by students, teachers, community volunteers, first responders, military personnel, police, public and private employees, and professional athletes – among many others.
• Most SafeTALK Instructors in Texas are LMHA staff - contact the LMHA in the school district’s area to find a training.      

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

Safety Planning Intervention

• The purpose of the Safety Planning Intervention is to provide people who are experiencing suicidal ideation with a specific set of concrete strategies to use to decrease the risk of suicidal behavior.
• Includes coping strategies that may be used and individuals or agencies that may be contacted during a crisis.
• The Safety Planning Intervention is a collaborative effort between a mental health provider and a student and takes about 30 minutes to complete.
• The basic steps of a safety plan include (a) recognizing the warning signs of an impending suicidal crisis; (b) using your own coping strategies; (c) contacting others in order to distract from suicidal thoughts; (d) contacting family members or friends who may help to resolve the crisis; (e) contacting mental health professionals or agencies; and (f) reducing the availability of means to complete suicide.
• Clinicians with a wide range of backgrounds (e.g., nurses, psychologists, primary care physicians, psychiatrists, social workers) can be trained to implement the Safety Planning Intervention.
• The typical training includes: (a) reading the safety plan manual by Stanley & Brown (2008), reviewing the brief instructions (Stanley & Brown, 2008) and the safety planning form; (b) attending a training in which the intervention, its rationale and evidence base are described; and (c) conducting role-plays to practice implementing the intervention.

Intervention

BHC

PSC

SAMHSA Programs

• Offers information, training, and technical assistance to improve the quality and delivery of behavioral health services across the nation.

Supplemental

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Educators

 PSC

 SSS Administrators BHC

Signs of Suicide - SOS

• Universal, school-based prevention program designed for middle and high school students
• Goals are to:
  • Decrease suicide and suicide attempts by increasing student knowledge and adaptive attitudes about depression
  • Encourage personal help-seeking and/or help-seeking on behalf of a friend
  • Reduce the stigma of mental illness and acknowledge the importance of seeking help or treatment
  • Engage parents and school staff as partners in prevention through “gatekeeper” education
  • Encourage schools to develop community-based partnerships to support student mental health
• Through a video and guided discussion, students learn to identify warning signs of suicide and depression in a single class period.
• At the end of the session, students complete a seven-question screening for depression (anonymous or signed –the school can decide) to further encourage help-seeking and connect students at risk with trusted adults.
• The curriculum raises awareness about behavioral health and encourages students to ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) when worried about themselves or their peers.

Training

Educators

 PSC

SSS

Administrators

Social Programs that Work

• This site seeks to identify those social programs shown in rigorous studies to produce sizable, sustained benefits to participants and/or society, so that they can be deployed to help solve social problems. 
• The specific purpose is to enable policy officials and other readers to distinguish credible findings of program effectiveness from the many others that claim to be.
• This site focuses on the results of well-conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which are widely regarded as the strongest method of evaluating program effectiveness.
• The site also focuses on whether such studies show sizable, sustained effects on outcomes of clear policy importance (e.g., high school graduation, workforce earnings, teen pregnancies) and not just intermediate outcomes (e.g., children’s ability to recognize letters or numbers, positive parenting practices, take-up of services) that may or may not lead to important outcomes.
• Programs on this site have been identified through systematic monitoring of all rigorous evaluations published or posted online across all areas of social policy. 
• The goal is to identify programs that, based on careful review of the studies in consultation with outside experts, meet the criteria for “Top Tier,” “Near Top Tier,” or “Suggestive Tier.”

Registry

Educators

PSC

 SSS Administrators BHC

Sources of Strength

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Change peer group norms that influence coping practices and problem behaviors (e.g., self-harm)
• Promote protective factors that are linked to overall psychological wellness and reduced suicide risk
• Reduce the acceptability of suicide as a response to distress
• Increase the acceptability of seeking help
• Improve communication between youth and adults
• Develop healthy coping attitudes among youth

The program aims to enhance protective factors and reduce suicide.

• It engages peer leaders to change peer norms related to help- seeking and developing strengths.

Adult advisors are given an orientation training and monthly teleconference support with Sources of Strength staff.

• Their role is to support the peer teams.
• Peer leaders spend 15–50 hours during a 3–6-month program, which includes an initial training, although the program is designed to last multiple years.

Intervention

Training -

MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

 PSC

SSS

Administrators

Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) - Schools

Why Address Suicide Prevention?

• Maintaining a safe school environment is part of your school's overall mission.
• Students' mental health can affect how well they perform in school.
• Suicide can affect the entire school community. 
• The best way to prevent suicide is to use a comprehensive approach that includes these key components:
  • Promote emotional well-being and connectedness among all students.
  • Identify students who may be at risk for suicide and assist them in getting help.
  • Be prepared to respond when a suicide death occurs.

See All Resources Related to Schools for a full list of materials, programs, trainings, and other information available from SPRC. Use the filters to narrow your results.
For more on other settings and groups, see Settings and Populations pages.

Supplemental

MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

PSC

 SSS Administrators BHC

Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC)

• Official university-level research center at Texas State University.
• Serves as a clearinghouse for the dissemination of safety and security information through research, training, and technical assistance for K-12 schools and junior colleges throughout the state of Texas.
• Builds partnerships among youth, adults, schools, law enforcement officers, and community stakeholders to reduce the impact of tobacco on all Texans through prevention, training and enforcement initiatives.

Supplemental

 MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

PSC

SSS

Administrators BHC

Texas Suicide Safer Schools Implementation Guide and Tools

• Designed to inform Texas educators about the incidence of youth suicide and to emphasize the responsibility of school leadership to increase suicide awareness, enhance protective factors, build resilience in students, and intervene and get help for a suicidal student.
• Provides a framework on how to turn your school into a suicide safer school.

Framework

MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators BHC

The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale - C-SSRS

• Supports suicide risk assessment through a series of simple, plain-language questions that anyone can ask.
• Helps to identify whether someone is at risk for suicide, assess the severity and immediacy of that risk, and gauge the level of support that the person needs.
• First scale to address the full range of suicidal thoughts and behaviors that point to heightened risk.
• Identifies if someone has previously attempted suicide and also if he or she has considered suicide, prepared for an attempt (for example, buying a gun, collecting pills, or writing a suicide note), or aborted plans for suicide because of a last-minute change of heart or a friend’s intervention.
• Ask all the questions in a few moments or minutes — with no mental health training required to ask them.
• Reduces unnecessary referrals and interventions by more accurately identifying who needs help — and it makes it easier to correctly identify the level of support a person needs, such as patient safety monitoring procedures, counseling, or emergency room care.
• An unprecedented amount of research has validated the relevance and effectiveness of the questions used in the Columbia Protocol to assess suicide risk, making it the most evidence-based tool of its kind.
• Suitable for all ages and special populations in different settings and is available in more than 100 country-specific languages.
• The protocol and the training on how to use it are available free of charge for use in community and school settings, and in many other environments.
• Training for the full C-SSRS includes a video presentation and eight case studies, and users who complete the case study questions receive a certificate. A separate training for the condensed C-SSRS Screener consists of a 20-minute video only.

Intervention

Educators

 PSC

 SSS Administrators BHC

The Emotional Backpack Project

• Education and awareness program led by the Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston.
• Teaches educators, children, and parents about protecting their mental health so that every child feels supported and able to come to school ready to learn.
• Training modules, lesson plans, and activities implemented by 2 Emotional Backpack Leaders selected by participating schools who participate in train-the-trainer learning sessions and implement modules on youth mental health signs and symptoms, trauma informed classrooms, advanced trauma-informed teaching practices, self-care and suicide prevention throughout school year.
• Emotional Backpack Leaders receive certification after completing the training allowing for continued implementation in subsequent years and providing a cost-effective way to train other campus personnel as Leaders. Emotional Backpack Leaders will receive technical support and coaching throughout the entire school year.
• Training modules fulfill TEA requirements for mental health and suicide prevention training.
• Year-long program; school orientation (2 hrs), summer training (8 hrs), winter training (4 hrs).

Training

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators

Umatter for Schools

This program teaches people to do the following:

• Identify the warning signs and risk and protective factors of youth in distress
• Describe their roles and responsibilities in responding to suicidal behavior
• Identify the cultural factors that contribute to the prejudice associated with seeking help
• Identify resources for referral and support in their communities and state
• Describe the Lifelines curriculum, supports for it, and possible challenges to implementing it
• Develop school protocols for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention
• 2-day training for teams of school personnel and community mental health providers to learn how to:
  • Identify and respond to suicidal behavior
  • Identify resources for referral and support
  • Develop protocols for the school
  • Implement the Lifelines suicide prevention curriculum for students

Training

MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS IN SEC. 38.351 (E) (1-4)

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators BHC

Wraparound Services - YES Waiver

• The Youth Empowerment Services Waiver is a 1915(c) Medicaid program that helps children and youth with serious mental, emotional and behavioral difficulties.
• The YES Waiver provides intensive services delivered within a strengths-based teamplanning process called Wraparound.
• Wraparound builds on family and community support and utilizes YES services to help build your family’s natural support network and connection with your community.
• YES services are family-centered, coordinated and effective at preventing out-of-home placement and promoting lifelong independence and self-defined success.

The program aims to:

• Reduce the amount of time children are out of their home and community because of a mental health need.
• Expand available mental health services and supports.
• Improve the lives of children and youth.

A Wraparound facilitator will meet with youth and their family weekly to work on creating a Wraparound Plan.

• The Wraparound Plan is also developed with help from your Child and Family Team, which meets once a month. The team includes you, your child and people who are important in your child’s life. This may be professionals, family, friends, coaches or teachers who want to help your child meet their goals.
• Together, the team develops a plan of care to meet the specific needs and goals of your child and family using YES services, community resources and family strengths.

YES services include:

Specialized therapies:

• Nontraditional services that provide alternative and creative forms of therapy to help improve the youth’s health, welfare and functioning in their community. This includes:
  • Animal-assisted therapy.
  • Art therapy.
  • Music therapy.
  • Recreational therapy.
  • Nutritional counseling.

Community living supports:

• Help families adjust to special challenges related to the youth’s mental health needs by using proven practices and strategies.

Family supports:

• Connect family members with others who can support them by sharing similar lived experiences.

Employee assistance and supported employment:

• Help youth find a job and be successful in it.

Paraprofessional services:

• Help with stressful situations through coaching and mentoring.

Respite services:

• Allow families and caretakers to take a temporary break from caring for youth enrolled in YES.

Nonmedical transportation:

• Take youth to YES Waiver services when no other transportation is available.

Supportive family-based alternatives:

• Provide support and model healthy interactions for the whole family while the youth temporarily lives in a therapeutic home.

Adaptive aids and supports:

• Supplement YES services with medically necessary supports to prevent out-of-home placement.

Minor home modifications:

• Support the youth’s ability to function independently at home and in the community.

Transition services:

• Help with the costs associated with a youth moving into their own home.

Intervention

BHC

YAM

•The YAM program includes education on the following themes:

• Awareness about mental health
• Self-help - advice
• Stress and crisis
• Depression and suicidal thoughts
• Helping a troubled friend
• Getting advice: who to contact

The YAM program is structured as 5 1-hour sessions, delivered over 3 to 5 weeks, and includes the following components:

• Psychoeducation about mental health, stress, depression, and help-seeking
• Dilemma cards activity to focus on problem solving
• Role plays
• Informational booklets with additional health and mental health resources

• Posters for display in the classroom that visually reinforce concepts

YAM facilitators must be certified; UTSW CDRC provides trainings.

Facilitator Training: In-person training over 4.5 consecutive days

• Consultation: Ongoing technical assistance and quality assurance
• Progress Monitoring
• UTSW CDRC is one of the few organizations currently offering YAM certification in the United States, in partnership with Mental Health in Mind International AB.

Intervention

Educators

PSCs

SSS

BHC

Administrators

Youth.Gov Prevention 

• U.S. government website that helps you create, maintain, and strengthen effective youth programs.                       

    Includes:

• Youth facts,
• Funding information, and
• Tools to help you assess community assets, and generate maps of local and federal resources, search for evidence-based youth programs, and keep up-to-date on the latest youth-related news.

Supplemental

Educators

PSC

SSS Administrators