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Working with Suicidal Students

As a school counselor I have found working with suicidal students an important part of my counseling program. I chose this topic because it seems the climate we are in  students are struggling with mental health and making out cries. I want to ensure that I am educated on the current laws, news and resources to best support my students. This special population of students, have guidelines that must be followed both ethical, and legal. My guide is intended for parents, educators, counselors and mental health professionals

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My interview was conducted with Cynthia Juarez LMSW. Mrs. Juarez is the Licensed Social Worker at Fannin Elementary. Her experience includes 2 years as a behavioral specialist at a Disciplinary alternative education program. Mrs. Juarez feels that suicidal students are vulnerable population of  at risk youth who require immediate attention and priority when working with at risk populations. She believes that being able to identify those students is a priority when creating and implementing prevention methods. She also believes highlighting topics will bring awareness to the need for mental health resources. Mrs. Juarez stays current with changes and guidlines with working with suicidal students through her school districts social work prgoram and the National Association of Social Workers. Mrs. Juarez works in conjunction with her School Counselors to provide training and support to Administrators, teachers and staff on warning signs and notifying the counselors/social worker office when an outcry is made. Mrs. Juarez also works closely with her school districts Counseling department to monitor and make recommendations for change of the current suicide assesment monitor for couselors and social works.

She believes the best practices for working with suicidal students are as follow;

Creating a relationship with students.

Be transparent with students about suicide. Use correct terminology.

Be aware of signs and risk factors in an effort to implement proper interventions

Link: https://www.gpisd.org/Page/39511

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https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Magazines/July-August-2018/Suicide-and-Child-Abuse-Reporting

Stone, C. (2018, July 1). Suicide and child abuse reporting. Suicide and Child Abuse Reporting - American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Magazines/July-August-2018/Suicide-and-Child-Abuse-Reporting

This is a supportive resource for not only school counselors and educators. This article a school counselor, teacher scenario discussing a suicidal student and whether to inform parents. In the resource the Dr. Stone defines Ministerial duties for school counselors and the ethics and legal requirements with informing parents. Dr. Stone states that notifying parents of suicidal idieation in their children is imperative. To support her position of notification Dr. Stone cites both federal and state congressional, statutory and administrative laws.

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References

Freda, L., & Deihl, L. (2022, August 1). Suicide assessment and consultation in school settings. The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 38(8), 1.https://doi-org.easydb.angelo.edu/10.1002/cbl.30644

https://easydb.angelo.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.717494075&site=eds-live&scope=site

In the article Suicide assessment and consultation in school settings Dr. Lisa Freda and Dr. Laura Delhi the high needs of suicidal students and the benfits and impact of school screenings. Freda and Delhi sing the praises of the school intervention, training, screening and education of student suicide.

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BRADLEY, A., & SCHROEDER, L. (2021). Rise in depression and suicidal ideation among teens during COVID-19. Counseling Today, 64(6), 20–23.

https://easydb.angelo.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=154005033&site=eds-live&scope=site

In the article authors Bradley and Schroeder highligh the rise in suicidal ideadtion in students in their teen years during the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss how this rise has shown a light on the mental health needs in the United States.

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§161.325  Texas Health and Safety Code, and including effective strategies for teaching and intervening with students with mental or emotional disorders, including de-escalation techniques and positive behavioral interventions and supports [initially adopted 2013, amended 2015]
https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._health_and_safety_code_section_161.325#:~:text=Texas%20Health%20and%20Safety%20Code,and%20Intervention%2C%20and%20Suicide%20Prevention
Tex. HealthCode § 161.325 (2013), https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.161.htm

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Texas Health and Safety Code Section 161.325 - Mental Health Promotion and Intervention, Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention, and Suicide Prevention

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Statutes Title 2, Health; Subtitle H, Public Health Provisions; Chapter 161, Public Health Provisions; Section 161.325, Mental Health Promotion and Intervention, Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention, and Suicide Prevention. Refreshed: 2021-06-07

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https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5750?s=1&r=76

​​H.R.5750 - Cady Housh and Gemesha Thomas Student Suicide Prevention Act of 2021

117th Congress (2021-2022) |

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https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB00581I.htm

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Sec. 51.91941. SUICIDE PREVENTION INFORMATION REQUIRED ON

STUDENT IDENTIFICATION CARD. (a) In this section, "institution of

higher education" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.

(b)Each student identification card issued by an

institution of higher education must have printed on the card the

contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

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87(R) HB 581 - Introduced version - Bill Text

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Sec. 51.91941. SUICIDE PREVENTION INFORMATION REQUIRED ON STUDENT IDENTIFICATION CARD. (a) In this section, "institution of higher education" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003. (b) Each student identification card issued by an institution of higher education must have printed on the card the contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

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Added by Acts 2021, Texas Acts of the 87th Leg. - Regular Session, ch. 550,Sec. 1, eff. 6/14/2021.

” Tex. Educ. Code § 38.353

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https://www.gpisd.org/cms/lib/TX01001872/Centricity/Domain/11870/22-23%20Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%20ENG.pdf
I choose to share the Grand Prairie Independent School District Student Code of conduct to illustrate how the school district handles threating behavior that could result in a student participating in self harm or encourages suicide.

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The ASCA Ethical Standards are once again helpful guidelines. Section A.7.b states: “The professional school counselor will attempt to minimize threat to a student and may choose to 1) inform the student of actions to be taken, 2) involve the student in a three-way communication with parents/guardians when breaching confidentiality or 3) allow the student to have input as to how and to whom the breach will be made.”

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#12 Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

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#12 Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

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The personal connection I have with the legal and ethical standards as a school counselor is needing a working knowledge of the four sources of law and how they apply to how I work with suicidal students. Applying that knowledge leads to balancing the ethical and confidential needs of my students struggling with suicide. If I were to ignore or be ignorant to a code of ethics or federal or state law when working with a suicidal students I could leave myself and my school district open to legal repercussions.

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13 Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

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13 Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

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Best practices for compliance.

Read throughly your school districts policies and procedures when responding to a suicidal student.

Understand the state and federal laws and how they affect you as a school counselor.

Join a professional school counselor association.

Read the newsletters that are distributed by your professional school association.

Ensure you have appropriate liability and union coverage if a legal issue may arise.

Make yourself aware of current new articles trending on the subject of working with suicidal students.