Schools are an integral part of suicide prevention. Schools should develop policies and procedures in how to identify students at risk, how to intervene in a crisis, how to reintegrate students after a crisis, and how to handle a completed suicide in the school and community. These policies and procedures should be developed and implemented long before they are needed.
“As a teacher, you have an important role to play in preventing suicide. You have daily contact with many young people, some of whom have problems that could result in serious injury or even death by suicide. You are therefore in a position to notice what students say, do, and write, and take action when you suspect a student may be at risk of self-harm.” – The Role of High School Teachers, Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
Virtual Behavioral Health Professional Development (Kognito)
Kognito is an online, role-playing simulation to help school personnel learn to recognize the signs of distress, use conversations to approach a student and discuss concerns, and, if necessary, refer parents/students to the appropriate resources. The simulations allow school personnel to practice these challenging conversations at their own pace through role-playing with emotionally responsive virtual students.
The Department of Health & Human Services’ Behavioral Health Division is offering these simulations available to all North Dakota school personnel at no-cost.
