Suicidal Prevention and Intervention

Sources of Strength
Sources of Strength is an evidence-based suicide prevention and health promotion program that trains student leaders to make positive changes in their school culture. School staff are trained as Adult Advisors before a diverse group of students are nominated to participate in a four hour training led by a nationally certified trainer. Sources of Strength peer leaders create projects for the entire student body to engage in naming Trusted Adults within the school. Students also participate in activities that encourage strength and wellness in an effort to increase help seeking and a positive school climate.

Signs of Suicide

The Signs of Suicide Signs of Suicide Prevention Program is a universal, school-based depression awareness and suicide prevention program designed for middle-school (ages 11–13) or high-school (ages 13–17) students. The goals are to:

1) Decrease suicide and suicide attempts by increasing student knowledge and adaptive attitudes about depression
2) Encourage personal help-seeking and/or help-seeking on behalf of a friend
3) Reduce the stigma of mental illness and acknowledge the importance of seeking help or treatment
4) Engage parents and school staff as partners in prevention through “gatekeeper” education, and
5) Encourage schools to develop community-based partnerships to support student mental health.

Both the middle and high school programs provide age-appropriate, educational DVDs for school staff to play for students. The middle school video (Time to ACT) and the high school video (Friends for Life) inform students how to ACT® (Acknowledge, Care and Tell), demonstrate the right and wrong ways to help, and show a student talking with a school counselor.

https://www.sprc.org/resources-programs/sos-signs-suicide

Resources:

• http://www.sprc.org/ – Suicide Prevention Resource Center
• http://www.thelink.org/ – The Link Counseling Center
• http://www.spanusa.org/ – Suicide Prevention Action Network
• http://www.afsp.org/ – American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• https://thesummitwellnessgroup.com/resources/suicide-prevention/ – Suicide Prevention Resources Guide
• https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

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