Youth Suicide Prevention: Connecting Dots Between Schools and Communities

In this course, Dr. Jonathan Singer, Ph.D., LCSW, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, explains how the 20-year trend of suicide deaths for school-age children in the United States shows that the peaks of deaths tend to occur mid-semester for both the fall and spring semesters in the northern hemisphere (often triggered by a school or family relationship problem). Yet there are many challenges, outlined by Singer, in preventing suicide at a school level. Five types of school-based suicide prevention programs are identified, along with the possibility of using a comprehensive multi-tiered approach (including in-school and out-of-school interventions). Singer reminds us of the suicide warning signs, discusses screening and assessment, and shares resources that can help.