When you are looking for support and information about teen suicide and suicide prevention, you could look to the SPTS for help. This charity includes offering compassionate and skilled trainers to educate in school settings and help all staff, not just teachers, to be better able to support teens who are at risk. Here is a look at some of their resources.
In-person training option - Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention (MEP)
This takes a look at the important role school staff play in the task of identifying teens at risk and referring them. It looks at the challenges that schools face and what the realities are currently in what they can do. It is a mix of lectures, asking questions of experts, role play and interactive work. One of the things it highlights are the four categories of youths who are most at risk, the gifted, LGBTQ, victims of bullying and those who have made previous efforts to kill themselves. Those taking the training will also hear from those with personal experience. Telling each other's stories is one way to highlight what is going on and to connect. There is information on current trends and data, warning signs, suicide prevention resources and who is more at risk. Content was created in collaboration with other experts and organizations including The Trevor Project and the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
Making Youth Agencies Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention
This training program has some similarities to the above but focuses on youth agencies being educated rather than educators or schools. It looks at what role youth agencies play, increases their awareness of youth suicide, considers how they can help prevent it and looks at what strategies they should use when working with teens who are at risk. They can also look at the policies in place and see what needs to be changed to improve things.
Training trainers to deliver MEP
This resource prepares people to become trainers who can deliver the above-mentioned MEP course to educators. It is about 90 minutes long and will include a number of resources and materials as well as giving ongoing support after the training is complete. Before they can take this course for suicide prevention, they need to have done the online training Act on Facts: Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention. At the end, those who are trained can better help staff in schools and ensure the knowledge and policies are up to date with current understandings. Trainers can help staff have a better understanding and awareness of teen suicide, have more confidence in how they respond and are better able to see the warning signs.
Presentations - The Role of the Trusted Adult and Raising Resilient Teens Presentations for Parents
One is directed at role models you will find in teens lives including coaches, trainers, extra curricular teachers and such. One is for parents. As well as looking at suicide prevention resources it educates on what to do if you have an at risk youth in your community, how to engage with them, what signs to look for, how to protect them and so on. It will leave adults feeling more empowered in how to handle this should it happen. Parents learn about careful communication and dispelling a lot of myths.