School communities who have experienced a death by suicide no longer need to be convinced of the reality of teen suicide: national data tell us that at-risk students are present in every school, at every grade level. Yet, how can schools implement procedures for identifying these at-risk students and addressing their needs – all while remaining focused on their primary functions of educating all students in a safe and healthy environment for learning? The Lifelines Trilogy™ makes school-based suicide prevention possible and practical.
Here’s what you’ll find in each component of the Lifelines Trilogy™
Lifelines: A Suicide Prevention Program
This comprehensive suicide prevention program is a whole-school program. Lifelines educates students on the facts about suicide and the students’ role in suicide prevention. It provides information on where to find suicide prevention resources in the school and community. Training materials are included for faculty and staff that provide accurate and practical information on identifying and referring students who might be at risk for suicide. Lifelines also includes a presentation for parents that answers questions about youth suicide and prevention; and it involves them in the school’s suicide prevention activities.
Curriculum designed for integration with health classes grades 5-12. It targets the whole school community by providing suicide awareness resources for administrators, faculty and staff, parents and students. Student curriculum corresponds with learning objectives and is evidence-based.
Lifelines Intervention: Helping Students At Risk for Suicide
Research shows that when schools implement a suicide prevention program, self and peer-generated referrals increase. Lifelines Intervention: Helping Students at Risk for Suicide is a whole-school program that educates on the ways to be fully prepared and how to address and respond to threats or signs of suicide and intervene-before it’s too late.
Lifelines Postvention: Responding to Suicide and Other Traumatic Death
The American Association of Suicidology defines suicide postvention as “the provision of crisis intervention, support and assistance for those affected by a completed suicide.” Survivors of a completed suicide often include everyone in a school community, including classmates, friends, teachers and family members.
Lifelines Postvention: Responding to Suicide and Other Traumatic Death is a comprehensive, whole-school best-practices manual specifically designed for middle and high school communities. This unique program educates everyone in the school community on how to successfully address and respond to not only suicide, but also any type of traumatic death that profoundly affects the school population.
With in-depth references and detailed plans, this resource outlines a response strategy that reflects the challenges schools face in dealing with a death within the school community. Also included are references and support materials that allow school leaders to recognize and reduce the risk of suicide contagion (or “copycat”) behavior within the school.