This staff training presentation on suicide prevention provides information about risk factors, warning signs, and strategies for prevention. It emphasizes that suicide is preventable if those at risk can be identified and supported. The presentation stresses that all staff should learn to identify signs of being at risk, communicate with each other, and refer at-risk students to counselors. It also provides resources for staff, students, and parents on suicide prevention and emphasizes the importance of program evaluation to continue improving prevention efforts.

1. Suicide
Staff Training Presentation
by Brianna Weimar, Nicole Kemp,
MIssy Turtzo and Sam Shipley

2. Please finish the sentence
please fill out your post it note and
stick it up on the chart.
Suicide is
___________
__________.

3. Interview with Scott Marcum
• Use students
• Better to be hyper vigilant
• Support the students
• Be Prepared for different situations
• Permanent solution

4. Demographics

5. Why is this
important?
(Boisvert et al., 2011).

6. about
80%
of the time, people
who kill themselves
have given definite
signals or talked
about suicide.
Suicide is preventable.
(Boisvert et al., 2011).

7. More youth Suicide statistics
• Females attempt more often
• 1 out of 10 students indicate an attempt
• 1 in 6 HS students report seriously
considering
• On average 2 youth (10-24) die a week
from suicide

8. resiliency
The ability to respond flexibly and positively in
adverse situations
• Sense of Community
◦ Before and after school programs
◦ Extracurricular activities
◦ Volunteer opportunities
• Connections
◦ Family
◦ Friends
◦ Faculty & Staff
• Coping strategies/Problem Solving skills
• Structure & Consistency

9. Natural helpers
• Peer to peer program
• Natural Helpers elective class
• Learn what to look for
• Learn what to do
• Organize school wide events

10. linking community members
• Collaborate with mental health professionals
• Opportunity to provide more counseling services
• Provide educational classes on suicide
prevention to parents
• Increase overall community knowledge on
suicide prevention
(Baber & Bean, 2009)

11. parent meetings
(Based off of the needs assessment administered to
parents at the beginning of the school year)
Parents felt that in addition to the online
resources provided on our website, holding an
evening meeting to discuss the specific risk
factors & fostering resiliency would be helpful.
We have tentatively scheduled that meeting and
we would love to have a faculty presence.

12. Risk Issues Involved
• Screen students to find out who is at risk
• Some common factors that put students at risk for attempting
suicide
• Some common risk factors for students affected by a peer's
suicide
(Kerr, 2009) (Capuzzi & Gross, 2014)

13. warning signs
Previous suicide attempt
Currently talking about suicide
Making a plan
Giving away things
Signs of depression
Increased drug or alcohol use
Hinting at not being around
Recent breakup with boyfriend or girlfriend
(Boisvert et al., 2011).

14. What is my part?
• Be informed, know what to look for.
• Be observant
• Communicate with each other
• Talk to the counselors

15. Evaluation of program
• Evaluation allows for improvement of the
program
• Shows how much knowledge staff has gained
due to the program
• Advocates for having this suicide prevention
program
(Gibbons & Studer, 2008)

17. What stuck with you today?
please fill out your post it notes and
stick them up on the chart. This will be hung in
the staff room!
You may choose to keep this anonymous.
What stuck
with you
today?
To help prevent
suicide at
Interlake High
School I will….
_______________
______________.

18. Yspp.org (Youth Suicide Prevention Program)
1 (800) 273-8255 (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline)
Sprc.org (Suicide Prevention Resource Center)
SAVE.org (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education)
Afap.org (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
Intheforefront.org (Innovations in Suicide Prevention)
Resources

19. Baber, K., & Bean, G. (2009). Frameworks: A community-based approach to preventing youth suicide.
Journal of Community Psychology, 37, 684-696.
Boisvert, D., Eastgard, S., Haynes, V., LaMarr, J., Manheim, L., … Porter, L. (2011). Washington
state youth suicide prevention. Washington State Department of Health. 971-001.
Erickson, A. & Abel N.R., (2013). A high school counselor’s leadership in providing school-wide
screenings for depression and enhancing suicide awareness. Professional School
Counseling, 16(5), 283-289.
Gibbons, M. & Studer, J. (2008). Suicide awareness training for faculty and staff: A training
model for school counselors. Professional School Counseling,11(4), 272-275.
Interlake High School [Web Photo]. Retrieved from https://www.bsd405.org/interlake.aspx
Interlake Mascot [Web Photo]. Retrieved from https://www.bsd405.org/interlake/resources.aspx
Kerr, M. (2009). School crisis prevention and intervention. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
King, K.A. (2000). Preventing adolescent suicide: Do high school counselors know the risk
factors? Professional School Counseling, 3, 255-263.
Washington State Department of Health, Office of Community Health Systems, Injury and
Violence Prevention (2009 release, 2011 update). Available at: http://here.doh.wa.gov/
materials/washington-states-plan-for-youth-suicide-prevention-2009/33_SuicPlan_E11L.pdf.
references
Accessed May 7, 2015.