A non-profit organization has launched a free online professional development series to promote youth suicide awareness and prevention.
Developed by Jason Foundation, the series which contains multiple two-hour sessions would train school personnel, youth workers, first responders, parents and any adults who interact with young people to prevent suicides.
The training would help the user to recognize a young person, who may be struggling, ways to approach and resources that are available for help. The series is available at learn.jasonfoundation.com.
“An educator’s role in suicide prevention is not found in counseling young people but being better able to identify and assist students who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide,” the non-profit said in a release.
A recent Journal of the American Medical Association study reveals that people ages 15 to 19, especially males, are increasingly attempting suicide. The suicide rate increased in 2017 to its highest point since 2000.
A total of 6,241 suicides involving individuals ages 15 to 24 years occured in 2017, out of which 5,016 were male and 1,225 were female, according to Centers for Disease Control data.
Recently, in an effort to help students better cope with mental health struggles, many colleges are testing out and implementing new innovative forms of counseling, turning away from traditional one-on-one therapy sessions.
In March, the American College Health Foundation (ACHF) and United Healthcare Student Resources launched a new “National College WellStart Program” to bring together college mental health experts to create a comprehensive training program for incoming first-year students, focusing on how to maintain positive psychology and successfully adjusting to their new environments.
Congressmen Chris Stewart (R-UT) and J. Luis Correa (D-CA) have also introduced the have introduced a bill to raise awareness of existing suicide prevention resources among college students.
Initiative Launched to Tackle Mental Health Issues Among Graduate Students
