Suicide Prevention Training for University Faculty and Support Personnel
Centennial Campus for the morning of Wednesday, March 22nd for the 3.5-hour faculty/staff training session (9-12:30). Training session holds ~100 in-person attendees.
Time: 3.5 hours or half day
Topic: Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention, Exact Location TBD
Description: Participants will have the opportunity to work through scenarios and discussions to strengthen their ability to gain insight, tools, and resources to work through one of the most difficult topics those working with students face. This empowers educators to speak on an uncomfortable topic. While it focuses on students, the strategies for adults are similar. This 3.5-hour training will focus in three parts on:
Part I – Prevention
- Signs to look for in young people ages 6-25. What to look for in artwork, on social media sites, and in papers kids write.
- Going upstream to prevent students from getting to crisis. A review of case studies of how teachers have integrated coping and critical thinking into their curriculum and how that helps kids build resilience and coping skills.
- Creating a suicide-safe environment (means restrictions such as breakaway closet rods)
Part II – Intervention
- What to say, what to do, scripts, and role play on how to respond.
- Scripts for effectively and supportively addressing conversations and situations with students in an age-appropriate and sensitive way.
- How to encourage students over18 to talk to their parents if appropriate giving them some agency in the process so they feel more grounded in their own care
Part III- Postvention
- The top errors most administrators make after a school suicide can put other vulnerable students at risk.
- How to support staff and students in their grief after the suicide of a teacher or student.
- What to do and say to the parent of a deceased child. (Downloadable script template)
- What educators can say to students who accuse teachers of holding back or lying when the parent has asked that the cause of death not be disclosed?
- How to prevent contagion and cohort suicide.
- Memorial guidelines and creating a commemoration policy.
