The following programs are all appropriate for use in a High School setting with adolescents and have a degree of evidence based research supporting their effectiveness. A brief description of each program is followed by a link to connect with more detailed information.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day intensive, interactive, and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize persons at risk of suicide and intervene by becoming more willing, ready, and able. Caregivers who are able to recognize individuals at risk can prevent suicidal thoughts from becoming suicidal behaviors. This workshop is suitable for all caregivers, and is available in several languages. Target age is 18 years and older.
For further information about ASIST please visit the ASIST page on the SDSSP website.
C-Care/CAST
This is a school-based intervention for students at risk for suicide. It combines one-on-one counseling with a series of small-group training sessions. C-Care (Counselors-Care) provides an interactive, personalized assessment and a brief motivational counseling intervention. CAST (Coping and Support Training) is a small group skills training intervention consisting of twelve one-hour sessioins that focus on topics such as depression, anger management and drug use.
Further information about the C-Care/CAST program can be obtained through this detailed summary provided by the SPRC or by emailing Elaine Thompson at elainet@u.washington.edu
Columbia TeenScreen
The primary objective of the Columbia University TeenScreen Program is to establish early identification programs in which youth can be screened for mental disorders and suicidal risk factors. Participants complete a ten-minute confidential questionnaire. If youth is found to be at risk, parents are notified and provided assistance with connecting to local services for further evaluation. This screening can take place in any number of venues. Target age range is 11 to 18 years old.
For further information about the Columbia TeenScreen please visit their website.
Lifelines
LIfelines is a school-based suicide prevention curriculum comprised of four 45-minute lessons. The topics of the lessons include attitudes about suicide, warning signs of suicide, school resources and role-playing exercises for students. The program also includes school-based model policies and procedures for responding to at-risk youth, suicide attempts, and completions; presentations for educators and parents; and a one-day workshop to train teachers to provide the curriculum.
Further information about the Lifelines program can be obtained through this detailed summary provided by SPRC or by emailing John Kalafat at kalafat@rci.rutgers.edu
Reconnecting Youth
Reconnecting Youth is a school-based selective/indicated prevention program that targets young people in grades 9-12 who show signs of poor school achievement, potential for school dropout, and other at-risk behaviors including suicide-risk behaviors. Reconnecting Youth teaches skills to build resiliency with respect to risk factors and to moderate early signs of substance abuse, and depression/aggression.
Further information about the Reconnecting Youth program can be obtained through this detailed summary provided by SPRC or by emailing Beth McNamara at beth.mcnamara@comcast.net.
SOS:Signs of Suicide
The program's primary objective is to educate teens that depression is a treatable illness. It also strives to enable them to respond to a potential suicide threat of a friend or family member using the SOS technique. SOS is an action-oriented approach instructing students how to ACT (Acknowledge, Care, and Tell) in the face of this mental health emergency. The main teaching tool of the SOS program is a video that teaches students how to identify symptoms of depression and suicide ideation in themselves or their friends and encourages help seeking behaviors. The Discussion guide that accompanies the video helps teachers to focus classroom discussion making sure that students understand the program's message of action and empowerment.
The mission of the Yellow Ribbon Program is to reduce the stigma of mental health and suicide prevention services. Their motto is that it is ok to "Ask 4 Help!" Staff members will go through the "Be A Link!" gatekeeper training. The Yellow Ribbon Program can be implemented within the school system by talking to health teachers about using the program in their health curriculum when discussing suicide. Also talk to your school counselors/peer listeners about distributing Ask 4 Help cards in the counseling office. Training materials include two videos and training sessions.
For further information about the Yellow Ribbon program visit their website www.yellowribbon.org
Zuni (American Indian) Life Skills
The American Indian Life Skills Development (formerly Zuni Life Skills) curriculum is a school-based, culturally tailored, suicide prevention curriculum for American Indian adolescents. Tailored to American Indian norms, values, beliefs, and attitudes, the curriculum is designed to build self-esteem; identify emotions and stress; increase communication and problem-solving skills; and recognize and eliminate self-destructive behavior, including substance abuse. The curriculum provides American Indian adolescents with information on suicide, suicide intervention training, and helps them to set personal and community goals.
Each lesson in the curriculum contains standard skills training techniques for providing information about the helpful or harmful effects of certain behaviors, modeling of target skills, experimental activities, behavior rehearsal for skill acquisition, and feedback for skills refinement. The curriculum is delivered 3 times a week over 30 weeks, during the school year.
For further information about the Zuni/American Indian Life Skills program can be obtained through this detailed summary provided by SPRC or this SAMHSA summary.
