Umatter You Can Help

DESCRIPTION

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Vermont youth between the ages of 11 and 23. In many cases it is preventable, especially when adults and youth know the warning signs and the steps they can take to get help for a young person. In addition, we know that positive mental health and the cultivation of youth assets along with good physical health all have a profound effect on student performance and the quality of life within the school community. For these reasons, Vermont law H.630 requires the inclusion of youth suicide prevention in the health education curriculum for middle and high school students.

This two-day training is designed so that you can prepare your school community to respond to the mental health needs of students and prevent suicide. Once adults in the school community know suicidal warning signs and how to help, you will be ready to teach suicide prevention to students using the Lifelines curriculum.

A team approach works best. Plan to bring a team from your school with members who can fill the roles of Administrative Sponsor, School Liaison, Community Liaison, and Health Educator. Please see below for a description of these roles. Schools that participate will receive a $500 grant if they agree to collect data about the incidence of suicide, conduct parent educational sessions about suicide, and implement other aspects of suicide prevention.

Important: Please bring one to two laptop computers for your team and either a paper or electronic copy of any suicide prevention protocols your school may already have. There will be a hands-on work session in which you can leave with protocols for your school that are 80% to 90% complete along with a solid plan for the implementation of suicide prevention in your school.

After this two-day workshop you will be able to:
• Describe the social factors that perpetuate the stigma against seeking help for mental health conditions and suicide.
• Restate the basic concepts that underpin current theories about why people might decide to end their life.
• List the warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors that impact the incidence of suicidal behavior.
• Demonstrate a four-step process for intervention when someone is suicidal.
• Describe your role and responsibilities for reporting data about the incidence of suicide or attempted suicide at your school.
• Write and revise protocols for your school to follow when there is a suicide or attempted suicide.
• Facilitate a workshop about suicide awareness for staff and parents of your school community.
• Describe the four student lessons in the Lifelines curriculum.
• Restate your action plan for introducing suicide prevention in your school community.

Participants will receive:
• Umatter Youth Suicide Prevention Handbook
• Participant binder with Gatekeeper materials, Protocol Development Tools, and a Suicide Awareness Training Outline
• Participant disk with reproducible handouts, articles, and sample forms
• 30% discount on Lifelines curriculum
• $500 mini grant if your school participates in collection of suicide prevention data

A Special Note about the Lifelines Curriculum

Lifelines is a four-lesson evidence-based curriculum for students that teaches about suicide prevention, recognizing warning signs that someone might be in distress, and knowing how to get help. Through discussion, videos and practice, students learn that suicide is preventable and that caring adults are available to help. The curriculum will enable your school to meet the requirements of H.630. Before your school uses the Lifelines curriculum, protocols must be in place along with adults on staff who know how to help.

For this reason, schools that wish to use the Lifelines curriculum are encouraged to send a team to the Umatter You Can Help training in order to ensure successful implementation.

At registration, please indicate your role in suicide prevention at your school(in smaller schools, one person may fill more than one role):

Administrative Sponsor – Principal, Assistant Principal or other administrator who follows through on your school’s commitment to implementing suicide prevention strategies such as writing prevention or post-vention protocols.

School Liaison – School Counselor or Nurse who acts as the contact person at your school for information and training on youth suicide prevention. This person also provides information to the Vermont Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition about suicide interventions or attempts in your community.

Health Educator – Health Teacher, Counselor, Nurse, or other educators who will teach the Lifelines curriculum to students.

Community Liaison – Counselor, Therapist or other professional associated with a mental health center in your community who maintains communication between your school and other local professionals.