Adolescent Suicide Prevention through Education and School Partnerships

Goal Statement: My goal for this portfolio is to increase prevention and education efforts in collaboration with the education system to decrease suicide risk, ideation, and behavior. Significant Findings: Reports from adolescents in Malheur County indicate that suicidality is a significant problem with higher than (state) average rates of suicidal ideation (Boyd, et al., 2017). The lack of resources in rural areas make accessing mental health services difficult. As a result, the school system is a good place to provide much needed prevention programs to support student mental health. This portfolio will discuss adolescent suicide prevention through the utilization of an evidence based, school-based program that seeks to connect prosocial adults with diverse students to change the culture and climate of their schools. Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps: The proposed next steps for this project include the following: Conduct a needs assessment across Malheur County middle and high schools. Use results from needs assessment to develop and implement interventions at the individual, group, and community level. Meet with administrators and superintendents to share data and obtain “buy-in” for the Sources of Strength program. Recruit and train adult advisors and peer leaders to implement Sources of Strength within schools throughout the county. Encourage regular campaigns through Sources of Strength, spreading messages of hope, help, and strength across our schools and communities