SEL & Mental Health
Adult SEL for Parents/Guardians
September is National Suicide Prevention Month
- It is important to know the warning signs to connect a student with help immediately.
- Relationship with your child is vitial to help them know they matter and their life is worth living.
- If there are concerns, our school counselors, psychologists, administrators or Youth Service Bureau can provide risk assessments and supports, if needed.
- Be aware of some facts:
- 50-75% of people who attempt suicide tell someone about it first
- Females are more likely to attempt suicide; Males are more likely to die by suicide
- 90% of those who attempt suicide do not want to die
- Suicide is preventable
Suicide Prevention at P-H-M
The mental health and safety of our students and staff is a priority and the suicide prevention efforts are ways we can offer important preventative measures.
- QPR (Question, Persuade, Resond) training for adults has been conducted to help adults be aware of signs and get the student to an adult who can conduct a risk assessment (administrator, school counselor, psychologist, or YSB).
- Public Safety Works Module on suicide prevention is available for staff.
- We have administrative guidelines for suicide prevention.
- Students in grades 7-12 are exposed to the Lifelines Program, which is an evidence-based curriculum that helps students know what to do if a friend is in trouble, how to help a friend in trouble, where a student can go to get help, and how to use what they learned. For more information about Lifelines, please check out this link.
- Yellow Ribbon is a suicide prevention program dedicated to preventing suicide and began after friends and family of Mike Emme, who died by suicide, pleaded for others to seek help. The Yellow Ribbon program has been offered to 9th graders at Penn.
- SEL lessons help focus on prosocial skills & coping skills, which can help reduce suicide ideation and suicidal behaviors.
- A heartfelt and much needed debt of gratitude goes to our School counselors, YSB, psychologists and administrators who offer life-saving measures and conduct risk assessments and follow procedures based on the results of the risk assessment.
- Suicide prevention resources and information are available. Information is online on P-H-M's website: https://www.phmschools.org/lifelines.
What can you do?
Seek help for self or students immediately:
DO NOT leave a student unattended. Stay with the student until they can go with a school counselor, administrator, psychologist or YSB for a risk assessment. If virtual, call the school administrator, counselor for help. For emergencies, call 911.
Do your best to remain calm (enlist strategies to help yourself stay regulated (Breathing, movement, meditation/prayer)
Take all talk of suicide seriously (do not pass it off as a commnent or joke)
Listen without judging (be empathetic)
Sometimes people are worried that asking if someone is contemplating suicide will cause them to do it, but the literature supports asking about suicide ideation can open a door for the support and help one needs, thus preventing suicidal behaviors.
Persuade the person to get help. Be persistent and solution focused (suicide is not the solution), offer alternatives and help, and be empathetic.
Connect them to the school counselor, YSB, psychologist or administrator during school hours-after hours you can call 911 for emergencies or a well-check request from the police department, or call the Safe School Helpline
Most people leave warning signs prior to attempting suicide, so knowing the warning signs helps to connect the person and can prevent suicide.
Build relationships and offer hope. Oftentimes, people who express suicide ideation feel alone and hopeless. Be the light someone needs.
Warning Signs
- Alcohol or drug abuse or misuse
- Acquiring lethal means
- Dramatic changes in mood or behavior (even if the change is suddenly positive)
- End of a relationship (e.g., Break up)
- Familial discord
- Family history of psychiatric disorders and suicide attempts
- Feeling Alone
- Feeling like a burden
- Giving things away
- History of abuse
- History of suicidal behaviors
- History of depression
- Isolation
- Low Self-esteem
- No sense of purpose
- Possessing lethal means
- Practice
- Pressure to be successful in sports, school, etc.
- Sense of hopelessness
- Talks about death often
- Thoughts of suicide that are fleeting or persistent
- Trouble at school or home
- Verbal or written threats
- Withdrawing from family and friends
An easy way to remember the warning signs is by thinking of the acronym F.A.C.T.S.
F-Feelings (e.g., Hopeless, Sad, Anxious, Easily agitated)
A-Actions (e.g., Isolation, Talk of Death, Drug/Alcohol Use)
C-Changes (e.g., Changes in behaviors, personality, sleeping or eating, interests, and/or appearance, as well as Seemingly happy or all of the sudden "better" after being down or withdrawn)
T-Threats (e.g., Statements, Threat to kill self, Plan, Making a will, Giving things away)
S-Situations (e.g., Loss, Break-up, In trouble)
What to do if you notice warning signs
- Listen without judging
- Take all talk seriously
- STAY calm and STAY with the person until help arrives.
Follow these steps:
- Ask-Asking about suicide will not cause a person to do it. Even though this might seem hard for some, asking this question can save a life. This lets the person know you are open to talking about it and shows you care. When they answer, listen to them (non-judgmentally). Help focus on their reasons to live. You can also ask how you can help, but do not ever keep this a secret. Get help. Take all talk of suicide seriously, even if it has happened in the past. Examples of Ways to ASK: "Are you thinking about suicide?" "Have you had thoughts of taking your own life?" "Are you thinking about killing yourself?"
- Persuade them to get help-Take action now. There is no time to wait. Be persistent and focus on solutions (suicide is not the solution).
- Offer Hope in any way.
- Keep them safe and show support. Reduce/eliminate access to lethal means without putting yourself in danger. Time and distance is needed between the lethal means and the person.
- Be there-When you are with someone, it helps them feel connected and limits feelings of loneliness, which is a protective factor against suicide. Keep your personal safety in mind and stay with the person until help arrives. If you have a student that you are concerned about, do not email your concerns to a counselor because it may not be seen in time.Call 911 if there is an emergency-See more resources below.
- Help them Connect-If possible, help the person find ongoing supports (check out 1.800.273.8255 for more information). Be sure to work with the school administrator, school counselor, psychologist, or YSB as part of this support plan for help. My3app is a safety planning and crisis prevention app that identifies supports and can be conveniently stored on a smart phone.
- Follow-up: Check in to see how they are doing, which will increase feelings of connection.
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Suicide and Diverse Populations
Certain diverse populations statistically show greater risk for suicide (https://suicidology.org/) due to unique risk factors, such as discrimination and violence. We can all help prevent this by working to dismantle racism and oppression, as well as biases that marginalize diverse groups because these factors destroy physical and mental well-being. We can also build esteem so students feel life is worth living. Additionally, our SEL lessons help equip students with necessary coping skills. It is important that we help dedicate time to prevention, risk assessments, and support to those who have been affected.
If you would like to learn more, please check out Suicidology's Calendar of Events for Special FB Live Events
- FB Live Event Mexican Association of Suicidology on 9-10-20.
- FB Live Event- Warning Signs of Suicide - Considerations for People with Autism
Suicide as it Relates to COVID and Social Unrest
What should you do if you have thoughts of suicide?
- If you have thoughts of suicide, seek help immediately
- Reach out for social supports.
- Call 1.800.273.TALK (8255)-When you call, you will hear a message stating you have reached the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Next, you will hear hold music. Then, a skilled, trained crisis worker will answer to listen, understand how the problem is affecting you, offer support and share any resources that may be helpful. The call is free and confidential. You can talk about any problem you are dealing with, whether or not you are thinking about suicide because talking with someone can save your life.
- If it is an emergency, call 911.
For non-emergencies:
- Have a proactive, self-care plan so you know what to do, who to call, where to go, etc.
- Reach out and keep connections between self and others open (avoid isolation as best as possible)
- Explore the possibility of counseling therapy at your family's cost. You may also want to inquire with your employer to see if they offer an Employee Assistance Program, which often includes a limited number of counseling sessions.
Positive Coping Skills
- Seek help immediately if you are experiecing throughts of or behaviors related to suicide.
- Please check out this list of Stress Management Techniques
- Check out the "Resources" below
- Phone a friend or loved one
- Look into J. W. Worden's T.E.A.R. model of Grief that can be applied here:
- T- To accept and acknowledge life is different than you have anticipated
- E- Experience-Express thoughts and feelings (talk to others, journal)
- A- Adjust to changes and make allowances for change by giving yourself and those around you grace
- R- Reinvest in yourself by making intentional effort to practice self-care.
Resources
- BeThe1To https://www.bethe1to.com/
- HealthReach, information about suicide available in multiple languages:
- My3app https://my3app.org/ App to help you be prepared if you need to reach out to others.
- 1.800.273.TALK National Suicide Prevention Hotline https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/?_ga=2.223592286.451134409.1567803754-619272134.1567803754
- SAFE SCHOOL HOTLINE-Text "TIPS" to 66746, 800.418.6423 x 359, email safeschoolhelpline.com
- Employee Assistance Program to certain employee groups through New Avenues- Go to NewAvenuesOnline.com or call 800-731-6501