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The School Counseling Department here at Walden High School our crisis plan is designed to assist our students and families in the case that suicide does occur. The counseling team offers workshops for staff, educators, parents, and community helpers to be a part of the postvention team, (Fineran, 2012). Our team receives training resources from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, ( SPRC; www.sprc.org) where anyone can research how we implement the suicide crisis plan, (Fineran, 2012).

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How to Prevent Suicide at Walden High School

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How to Prevent Suicide at Walden High School

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Here at Walden High School, we take Suicide Prevention very seriously. According to the Center for Disease Control 2018, suicide is a leading cause of death in America with 45,000 losses in 2016, (CDC, 2018). These numbers began rising between 1999 and 2016 and continue to rise, (CDC, 2018). We are dedicated to preventing death by suicide with the help of parents, public healthcare,  government officials, educators, and school staff in assisting with our efforts.
The community can collaborate to:
-Identify and support adolescents at risk of suicide.
-Teach our students ways to cope and manage stress.
-support safe environments
-encourage students to participate in school and community activities to reduce isolation.
-help students connect with mental health professionals.
-post resources for assistance with temporary assistance for needy families.

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Center for Disease Control. (2018). Suicide Rising Across the U.S.:  More than a mental health concern. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/suicide/index.html

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Fineran, K. R. (2012). Suicide postvention in schools: The role of the school counselor. Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory & Research, 39(2), 14–28.

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In the case that suicide does occur, which we hope to prevent, the crisis plan is implemented delicately. Safety for all students is the first priority. Contact with the family concerning how the information should be dispersed as well as an honest and direct approach with students is primary, (Fineran, 2012). Next, student are to be offered counseling services through small groups from the professional school counselor or outsourced services from mental health counselors and other professionals from the community. According to the American School Counseling Association 2016,  it is the aim of the professional school counselor to provide counseling to students in a brief context and support students and families/guardians in obtaining outside services if the student needs long-term clinical counseling.

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American School Counselor Association. (2016). Retreived from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf

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Included in our Suicide Prevention, Postvention, and  Intervention:

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Included in our Suicide Prevention, Postvention, and  Intervention:

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- written, formal suicide policy statement.
- Written procedures to address and ensure the safety of at-risk students.
- Faculty and staff inservice orientation and training in warning signs and referral of at-risk students
.- Identification and training of mental health professionals on-site
-Prevention materials for distribution to students, parents, and the community, and for classroom discussion.
- Procedures for psychological screening, identification, and counseling of at-risk students.
-Pre planned postvention responses and strategies that occur following any completed suicide.
- Written criteria for crisis workers to assess lethal effects of a potential student suicide.
-Written policies on how the school-based child and adolescent suicide prevention/intervention/ postvention program is evaluated
(James & Gilliland, 2017) .

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(CDC, 2018).

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-Difficulty with concentration
-Difficulty with attention
-Difficulty making decisions
-Difficulty learning new information
- Intrusive thoughts and memories Worries about safety and security of themselves/others Worries of an additional loss or that the event may occur again
-Self-blame or thinking they are responsible for what happened
-preoccupation with death, suicidal ideation (primarily adolescents)

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Gurwitch, R. & Schonfeld, D. (Sept/Oct, 2011). Support traumatized students. School Counselor 49(1).

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-Fear about the event
- Anxiety
-Sadness
-Anger
- Helplessness Irritability
- Loss of interest in things they used to enjoy
- Isolation or feeling different from others Guilt Mood swings

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-Difficulty sleeping
- Fatigue
- Increased activity level
- Changes in appetite
- Easily startled
- Agitation
-Being on high alert
- Headaches and stomachaches

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-Crying
- Acting younger than their age
-Withdrawal
-Defiance
-Repeatedly asking questions about the trauma or loss or telling stories of the event
- Reliving the events through play (younger children)
-Engaging in high-risk behavior
(Gurwitch & Schonfeld, 2011).

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James, R. K., & Gilliland, B. E. (2017). Crisis intervention strategies (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.