Intervention and prevention of youth suicide for educators

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Joshua Rivedal, n/aFollow

First Presenter's Institution

The i'Mpossible Project

Second Presenter's Institution

NA

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Location

Session 6 (Sloane)

Strand #1

Mental & Physical Health

Strand #2

Safety & Violence Prevention

Relevance

This topic touches on mental health because suicide is a breakdown of one's mental health and this session, in part, will cover how to promote youth mental health in school and how to take into account a young person's mental health if they are having a breakdown or if they are in suicidal crisis.

This topic touches on violence prevention because at times, if a student is in severe (suicidal) crisis they may harm themselves on school grounds and may even be at risk of harming other students or staff. This session will cover how to intervene if/when a student is actively suicidal and how to refer out for proper assistance with that student.

Brief Program Description

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for young people ages 15-18, and 3rd for ages 10-14. This session will cover the "why" behind suicide ideation, signs and symptoms, and how to prevent and intervene (as a layperson) if necessary. We will discuss how to refer a student to proper resources and support on and off campus, and faculty/staff self-care.

Summary

This session will go into depth about the "why" behind a student having suicidal thoughts or who attempts suicide: hopelessness.

Dove-tailing the "why" are risk factors, which include but are not limited to (usually more than one "reason" or "risk"): divorce, pressure related stress, untreated mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, physical abuse, sexual abuse, history of suicide attempts, major trauma

Next we will move into signs and symptoms of a student in suicidal crisis: extreme behavioral changes, giving away prized possessions, engaging in risky behaviors, not sleeping or sleeping all the time (in class, too), not enjoying things they once enjoyed, questionable statements in person or on social media e.g. "what would you do if I were not here tomorrow?", suicide as a theme in a student's poetry or artwork, and more...

The next portion will cover how to help a student in imminent crisis: listen (don't try to fix or offer advice), embrace silence if needed (you don't have to fix or fill the silence), no judgement, active listening (for clues that might keep the student grounded/feeling like they have self-worth and have purpose), tell the student their life is important to you, inform school counselor and administration, refer to professional help (school counselor, or consult with admin/counselor for off-campus resources).

Additional components to be discussed: suicide aftercare (what to do after a student dies by suicide on or off campus), access local off-campus resources, talking to parents, faculty/staff self-care, multi-tiered layers of support (faculty -> counselor -> admin).

Attendees will leave with new skills in suicide prevention and intervention to be implemented on their school campus. Attendees will also have national resources (youth suicide prevention/mental health) presented to them that they can take back to campus.

Evidence

This session format is based in part on Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) which are both on SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs for suicide prevention.

Additionally, this training/presentation has been given to multiple (middle and high) school faculty and staff across the U.S. As a result of the program, previous attendees have reported:

• An increased ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide in students

• An increased awareness and understanding of risk factors for youth suicide

• An increased awareness of local and national resources of help for suicidal students

• An increased comfortability in intervening and assisting if a student is experiencing a mental health breakdown or suicidal crisis

Biographical Sketch

Joshua Rivedal is the creator and founder of Changing Minds: A Mental Health Based Curriculum and The i’Mpossible Project. He is trained in community counseling from the Southern California Counseling Center; human capital management with an emphasis in coaching from NYU; and is also trained in QPR, ASIST, and the teacher’s edition of emotional intelligence at Yale University’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. He has spoken about suicide prevention, mental health, and anti-bullying across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia. He currently serves on the advisory board of Docz, a startup peer-to-peer mental health app. He wrote and developed the one-man play, Kicking My Blue Genes in The Butt (KMBB), which has toured extensively throughout the world paired with suicide prevention education. His memoir The Gospel According to Josh: A 28-Year Gentile Bar Mitzvah, based on KMBB, is on The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s recommended reading list. His second book, The i’Mpossible Project: Volume 1—Reengaging with Life, Creating a New You, debuted #1 in its category on Amazon in January 2016. There are currently four books in the i’Mpossible Project series. He is a co-author of three peer-reviewed journal papers—one on the trajectory of the survivor of suicide loss, another on the art of living with chronic illness, the third on surviving trauma. www.iampossibleproject.com

Keyword Descriptors

mental health, self care, trauma, crisis management, intervention, prevention, suicide, emotional intelligence, communication skills

Presentation Year

March 2020

Start Date

3-10-2020 1:00 PM

End Date

3-10-2020 2:15 PM

Recommended Citation

Rivedal, Joshua, "Intervention and prevention of youth suicide for educators" (2020). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 80.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2020/2020/80