Suicide Prevention for Educators

How Educators Can Respond to Youth about Whom They Are Concerned

Course Description

Educators work with students with emotional and behavioral struggles daily. It is helpful to provide guidance on how best to respond and interact with youth with whom they are concerned. Remember their responses should be in sync with school district policies.

What You’ll Learn

Participants will be able to describe how to respond to youth that may be at risk for suicide, from the perspective of students, educators, and suicide prevention experts.

Participants will be able to identify the steps that take place after a student is referred to a school-based mental health professional with suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

Participants will be able to summarize the variety of parent/family reactions and responses to learning that their child may be suicidal.

Participants will be able to describe the importance of a reentry meeting, and provide examples of components that may be part of a reentry plan when a student returns to school after a hospitalization.

Learning Assests

Youth Suicide Warning Signs

Available Here

Mayo Clinic “Teen Suicide Prevention” video.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center (2012). The Role of High School Teachers in Preventing Suicide.

Available Here

Suicide Prevention Resource Center (2012). The Role of High School Mental Health Providers in Preventing Suicide.

Available Here

Facilitators

Matthew Wintersteen, Ph.D

Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior Director of Research, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University; Executive Board, Prevent Suicide PA, Philadelphia, PA

Terri A. Erbacher, Ph.D

Clinical Associate Professor, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; Author of Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner’s Guide to Multi-Level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention

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Funding
This website was made possible by Grant Number H79SM082149 from the SAMHSA. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the SAMHSA.

Disclaimer
The PreventSuicideNJ portal contains links to resources owned and operated by third parties. These resources are provided for your information and convenience. The State of New Jersey Department of Health and collaborative partners are not responsible for the content of these websites. The PreventSuicideNJ portal does not provide medical advice, treatment or diagnoses.