After A Suicide: A Toolkit For Schools 2nd Edition
After a Suicide:A Toolkit for SchoolsSecond EditionSuicide PreventionResource Center
Endorsements from OtherOrganizationsNational Association of School Psychologists (NASP)When a suicide occurs, it can disrupt the foundation of the school and larger community to the core. How schoolleaders respond can help minimize negative effects and reinforce resilience. In fact, effective postvention efforts serveas the first line for prevention of potential suicide contagion among vulnerable members of the school community.After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools provides step-by-step guidance, templates, and resources all in one place. It is a vitalresource to help school administrators and crisis teams plan for and implement appropriate postvention strategies tofacilitate communications, support grieving students and staff, identify at-risk individuals, and more.National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)The tragedy of suicide affects many schools each year, and it is essential for principals and other school leaders to havethe resources they need to help them cope personally and professionally in the event of a student death. During thehigh-stress period after a suicide, these professionals must provide effective postvention (activities that reduce riskand promote healing after a suicide death) and facilitate an orderly return to the daily operation of the school. That’swhy the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) collaborates with organizations like the AmericanFoundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Toolkits like After a Suicide: A Toolkit forSchools provide our members with tools and resources designed to help them work with faculty, staff, students, andothers to restore the health of the school community. Resources like these are integral in helping principals and otherschool leaders carry out their mission to serve all students.American School Counselor Association (ASCA)A student suicide has a tremendous impact on the entire school as well as the broader community. Schooladministrators, faculty, and staff are called on to provide leadership and strength to students and their families,even though they themselves may be shaken emotionally and unsure of the proper actions to take. They will begrappling with issues such as immediate crisis response, helping students and parents cope, and communicatingwith the school and wider community, as well as the media. After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools, developed by theAmerican Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, is a valuable guide to helpschool personnel prepare for the tumultuous and stressful aftermath of a student suicide and to help prevent futuretragedies.After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools ii
This second edition of After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools was written in 2018 bythe American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Suicide PreventionResource Center (SPRC), Education Development Center (EDC).Authors of the Second EditionDoreen S. Marshall, PhDVice President of Programs, AFSPChristine Moutier, MDChief Medical Officer, AFSPScott Poland, EdDProfessor, College of Psychology, and Co-Director,Suicide and Violence Prevention Office, NovaSoutheastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FLJonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSWAssociate Professor, Loyola University School of SocialWork, Chicago, IL; Founder and Host, Social Work PodcastLaurie B. Rosenblum, MPHResearch Associate/Writer, SPRCContributors of Vignettes for theSecond EditionChristine Miara, MSFormer Director of Communicationsand Resources, SPRCElaine de Mello, LCSWTraining and Services Manager, Connect SuicidePrevention Program, National Alliance on Mental IllnessNH, Concord, NHMarc Posner, PhDSenior Writer/Editor, SPRCReviewers of the Second EditionTerri A. Erbacher, PhDSchool Psychologist, Delaware County Intermediate Unit,Morton, PA; Clinical Associate Professor, PhiladelphiaCollege of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PAMadelyn Gould, PhD, MPHProfessor of Epidemiology (in Psychiatry), ColumbiaUniversity Medical Center, New York, NYJohn R. Jordan, PhDClinical Psychologist, Private Practice, Pawtucket, RIRichard Lieberman, MA, NCSPLecturer, Graduate School of Education at LoyolaMarymount University, Los Angeles, CAShashank V. Joshi, MDDirector of School Mental Health, Division of Child &Adolescent Psychiatry, Stanford University School ofMedicine, Stanford, CASarah Estes Merrell, MASchool Counselor, St. Ignatius College Prep,San Francisco, CAJeremiah Simmons, MPH, MSPhD Candidate, RWJ Fellow, Program in ClinicalPsychology, Robert Wood Johnson Center for HealthPolicy at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NMErika Zepeda, MA, MEdSchool Psychologist, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CADavid N. Miller, PhDAssociate Professor of School Psychology, Departmentof Educational & Counseling Psychology, University atAlbany, State University of New York, Albany, NYAfter a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools iii
Authors of the First Edition andTheir Affiliation at the Time ofPublication (March 2011)AFSP Co-Chair, Joanne L. Harpel, JD, MPhilSenior Director for Public Affairs and Postvention, AFSPSPRC Co-Chair, Peggy West, PhD, MSWSenior Advisor, SPRCMadelyn Gould, PhD, MPHProfessor of Clinical Epidemiology (in Psychiatry),Deputy Director of Research Training Program in ChildPsychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, ColumbiaUniversity, New York, NYChristopher Gandin Le, MACEO, Emotion Technology LLC, Austin, TXGayle Jaffe, MSW, MPHSenior Prevention Specialist, SPRCRobert Macy, PhDDirector, International Center for Disaster Resilienceand Executive Director, Boston Children’s Foundation,Boston, MADonna Amundson, LCSWProgram Manager, Traumatic Loss Coalitions for YouthProgram, UMDNJ-University Behavioral Health Care,Piscataway, NJElizabeth McCauley, PhDProfessor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science,University of Washington, Seattle, WAPrimary Reviewers of the FirstEditionGeorge Scott, EdS, MFTMiddlesex County Coordinator, Traumatic Loss Coalitionsfor Youth Program, UMDNJ-University Behavioral HealthCare, Newark, NJAnnette Beautrais, PhDSenior Research Scientist, Yale University School ofMedicine, New Haven, CTKaren Dunne-Maxim, MSN, RNEverest Consulting Associates, Princeton Junction, NJFrank Zenere, EdSSchool Psychologist and District Crisis ManagementSpecialist, Miami-Dade Public Schools, Miami, FLFor additional first edition acknowledgments, see Appendix C: Additional Reviewers of the First Edition.After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools iv
After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools addresses Objective 10.1 of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (2012):Develop guidelines for effective comprehensive support programs for individuals bereaved by suicide and promotethe full implementation of these guidelines at the state/territorial, tribal, and community levels.This document was funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Suicide PreventionResource Center (SPRC). SPRC at EDC is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services(CMHS), (Grant No. 5U79SM062297). The views, opinions, and content expressed in this product do not necessarilyreflect the views, opinions, or policies of CMHS, SAMHSA, or HHS. 2018 Education Development Center and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. All rights reserved.This publication may be copied, reproduced, and distributed provided the copyright notice, author credit, andwebsite addresses for both SPRC (sprc.org) and AFSP (afsp.org) are included. For additional rights, such as adaptingor excerpting a portion of the material for publication, please contact permissions@edc.org and include the citationbelow.Suggested citationAmerican Foundation for Suicide Prevention, & Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (2018). After a suicide: A toolkit forschools (2nd ed.). Waltham, MA: Education Development Center.Additional copies of this publication can be downloaded suicide-toolkit-schools.The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusivelydedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education, and advocacy. AFSP’s mission is tosave lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. afsp.orgThe Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is the nation’s only federally supported resource center devotedto advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. It enhances the nation’s mental health infrastructure byproviding states, government agencies, private organizations, colleges and universities, and suicide survivor andmental health consumer groups with access to the science and experience that can support their efforts to developprograms, implement interventions, and promote policies to prevent suicide. sprc.orgAfter a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools v
Table of ContentsIntroduction.1Brief Descriptions of the Toolkit Sections.3Crisis Response .4Mobilize a Crisis Response Team.5Get the Facts .6Share the News with the School Community.8Address Cultural Diversity.8Activities for Responding to a Crisis.8Tools for Crisis Response.12Helping Students Cope.13Key Considerations.14Schedule Meetings with Students in Small Groups.14Help Students Identify and Express Their Emotions .15Practical Coping Strategies.15Reach Out to Parents.16Anniversary of the Death.16Working with the Community.17Key Considerations.18Coroner/Medical Examiner.18Police Department.18Local Government.19Funeral Director.19Faith Community Leaders.19Mental Health and Health Care.20Outside Postvention Specialists.20Building a Community Coalition.20Working with the Media.23Tools for Working with the Media.24Memorialization.25Key Considerations.26Funerals and Memorial Services.26Spontaneous Memorials.27Online Memorial Pages.28School Newspapers.29Events.29Yearbooks.30
Graduation.30Permanent Memorials and Scholarships.30Creative Suggestions.30Tool for Making Decisions about Memorials.31Social Media.32Key Considerations.33Involve Students.34Disseminate Information.34Online Memorial Pages.35Monitor and Respond .36Suicide Contagion.37Key Considerations.38Identifying Other Students at Possible Risk for Suicide.38Connecting with Local Mental Health Resources.39Suicide Clusters.39Bringing in Outside Help .40Going Forward.42Appendices.44Appendix A: Tools and Templates.45Sample Guidelines for Initial All-Staff Meeting.45Sample Death Notification Statement for Students.47Sample Death Notification Statement for Parents.50Sample Agenda for Parent Meeting.53Tips for Talking about Suicide.55Sample Media Statement.57Key Messages for Media Spokesperson.59Making Decisions about School-Related Memorials.60Facts about Suicide in Adolescents .61Youth Warning Signs and What to Do in a Crisis.63Appendix B: Additional Resources.64Crisis Response.64Helping Students Cope.65Working with the Community.
After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools, developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, is a valuable guide to help school personnel prepare for the tumultuous and stressful aftermath of a student suicide and to help prevent future tragedies.
San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council Resource Guide for Schools 2021-2022 4 After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools Grades 6-12 After a Suicide: A Toolkit for School is a comprehensive guide that will assist schools on what to do if a suicide death takes place in the school community and guidelines working with the media.
Suicide, Samaritans USA , Suicide Awareness Voices of Education , and Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program. The strategy also reflects the input of family members who have lost loved ones to suicide, those who have attempted suicide, national organizations dedicated
Suicide, Samaritans USA , Suicide Awareness Voices of Education , and Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program. The strategy also reflects the input of family members who have lost loved ones to suicide, those who have attempted suicide, national organizations dedicated to
zero suicide nationwide. In conjunction with our goal to prevent Veteran suicide, VA supports the national goal of reducing suicide in the U.S. by 20 percent by the year 2025. In this National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide, the goals and objectives of the 2012 National Strategy have been adapted to address suicide prevention among .
Suicide is now the second or third leading cause of death for youth in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many countries of Western Europe. If youth suicide is an epidemic, attempted suicide is even more so. For every teen that commits suicide (one-hundredth of one percent each year), 400 teens report attempting suicide (4 percent
2016 SUICIDE PREVENTION SUMMIT SCHEDULE — 4 What hurts . Working in the Aftermath of Suicide South Hall Lower B1 Barb Smith, Certified trainer, Expert in suicide prevention, intervention and aftercare of suicide Working with people bereaved by suicide can be challenging and uncomfortable but doesn't always have to be complicated.
Suicide Prevention. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for teens, after accidents and homicide. About 1 in 15 high school students attempt suicide each year, and . Note: The following questions are written in language appropriate for sharing with your students. 1. The teen suicide rate peaks around mid-adolescence.
Nazism and the Rise of Hitler 49 In the spring of 1945, a little eleven-year-old German boy called Helmuth was lying in bed when he overheard his parents discussing something in serious tones. His father, a prominent physician, deliberated with his wife whether the time had come to kill the entire family, or if he should commit suicide alone. His father spoke about his fear of revenge, saying .
