This one-hour virtual training, designed for K-12 faculty and staff, uses video and interactive scenarios to teach participants the ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) model already taught to students in the SOS Signs of Suicide curriculum. However, though SOS for School Staff meshes seamlessly with SOS, schools do not need to use SOS to benefit greatly from this new training.
SOS for School Staff was created for everyone in the academic environment including administrators, librarians, custodians, and all other adults with whom a student could interact throughout a school day. This universal approach equips all school staff with the same language and methods for help-seeking when a student is in need. When everyone is on the same page and protocols are in place, a difficult situation becomes easier to manage.
MindWise’s Unique Expertise
“We want to empower those trusted adults at school to feel confident in the steps they need to take when concerned about a student,” explains Meghan Diamon, LCSW, Program Director of Suicide Education for MindWise. “Teachers and staff already do a great job looking out for students. We wanted to provide them with concrete steps they can take to keep a student safe while connecting them to the right staff on campus.”
Diamon led the design of SOS for School Staff along with James McCauley, LICSW, co-founder and Associate Director of MindWise’s Trauma Center. “School staff are often the first to notice when kids are struggling. By helping them recognize students at risk, every member of the school staff will be the most effective ally possible,” says McCauley.
Why Invest in SOS for School Staff
Students spend hours a day under the watchful eyes of school staff. They interact with a range of school employees, from the bus driver who picks them up early in the morning to their after-school coach and all the teachers, counselors, cafeteria workers, and more they see throughout the day. Most of these staffers interact with hundreds of adolescents each day and have a vested interest in the well-being of all of their students. School personnel are uniquely positioned to notice behavioral changes in students. Equipping these trusted adults with the confidence and skills needed to identify warning signs and connect a student to safety is the key to SOS for School Staff.
Evidence of the Effectiveness of Suicide Prevention Training in Schools
As of 2020, 31 states legally mandate suicide prevention training for school personnel and another 15 states have legislation that encourages training among school staffers. Throughout the country, state legislators have acknowledged the need for suicide prevention trainings.
Research shows that after receiving suicide prevention training, the proportion of participants who indicated they were comfortable approaching an at-risk youth and discussing how they are feeling increased from 60% to 90%. This type of instruction has demonstrable value and its importance should not be understated. The same study shows participants experienced substantial gains in their willingness to intervene with a student at risk, as well as in their confidence and feelings of competence in their capability to help.
“Professional suicide prevention training improves people’s knowledge, skills, and confidence in helping others who are at risk and enhances positive beliefs about the efficacy of suicide prevention,” states Bryan Kohl, Executive Director of MindWise. “It has the potential to save lives, and we’d like to see SOS for School Staff being implemented in schools nationwide.”
More Prepared Than Ever
For over a decade, SOS Signs of Suicide has taught youth to reach out for help to trusted adults at school. Each year, in each school, teens respond by seeking help for themselves and for their friends. Now school staff will be more prepared than ever to answer those calls for help any day of the year.
