Suicide Prevention Training for Educators

Tired of trainings that bore you to tears? Ones that leave you with few ways to resolve the problem or any resources to do so?

A lot of suicide prevention training programs focus primarily on signs of suicide and statistics. However, suicide prevention training for educators presented by AnneMoss Rogers includes how to spot students and faculty at risk but overall focuses on empowering educators to create a culture of suicide prevention in a school.

Think of suicide prevention as a river

If you are trying to wade out and save someone right before they go over the edge of the waterfall, it’s rough waters and difficult.

If you go miles upstream when that river is just a bubbly, shallow babbling brook before the raging rapids and waterfall, it’s easier to help someone out of the water. We want to go upstream with suicide prevention, recognize the potential signs way ahead of time, and arm students (and faculty) with the skills to avoid crises later.

And we can do that by embedding activities in our schools and universities that build

1. connection and belonging
2. resilience
3. critical thinking and coping skills.

“I attended your webinar yesterday that was hosted by the NDE [Nebraska Dept of Education] and I wanted to first tell you that I thought it was such a powerful and informative session. I loved walking away with some new tools and resources, both for my professional career as well as for my parenting journey with two boys ages 14 and 10.“

——Jewel Schifferns, LCSW, (She/Her) School Social Work Coordinator, Community Health & Advocacy, (see the overview of the online suicide prevention training series here)

The ideas

Everyone’s favorite part of the suicide prevention training for educators is all the ideas for classrooms, schools, and campuses. And while there is a suicide prevention training video below with a few of them, AnneMoss present lots of ideas so people can choose the one that best fits their style.

The beauty of this part is that anyone can execute and embed these activities, games, and activators to build a culture of connection and belonging, the foundation of good mental health and suicide prevention. Even better, educators don’t have to change their curriculum but rather shift it to include some skill-building activities. The idea is small, doable changes that shift a climate and culture over time.

While there are suicide prevention programs AnneMoss recommends and organizations with whom to work, the ideas presented are ones you can use to make a difference immediately.

This suicide prevention training answers these questions and more

• How can we start a conversation about mental health with a class?
• How do we have a mental health conversation that is not about suicide?
• How do we find out if a student is thinking of suicide?
• What do we say or do after learning a student is thinking of suicide?
• What are the signs of someone thinking of suicide?

Suicide Prevention Speakers Topics are here

This 4-minute video is from the 1-hour Suicide Prevention Training for Educators for the State of South Dakota

Click the image to see the sample of a suicide prevention training video for educators in a pop-up window on this page.

• YouTube Video link
• You can see more Suicide Prevention Speaker Videos here on YouTube from keynotes to training, both virtual and in person.

About the Suicide Prevention Program for Educators:

Title: SPOTTING STUDENTS AT RISK: The Educator’s Role in Preventing Suicide & Creating an Environment of Wellness

Time: 2 hours, including training, questions, and role-play. This training can be delivered virtually, hybrid, or in person.

For: University faculty or K-12 educators (each one is adapted to the population)

Topic Description: How can educators spot students at risk for suicide? What is the right thing to say or do? What can be done to prevent students from getting to crisis in the first place? And how can educators find support?

Whether it’s having a conversation with a stressed-out student or talking to someone who might be suicidal, this presentation will empower educators with the words and tools needed to be the bridge to support.

With its engaging personal stories, real-life examples, and interactive activities, this presentation is not your usual PD or snoozer training but a rich learning opportunity for educators that captivates attention and offers practical resources.

Takeaways:

• Signs a student is at risk, how to intervene, and what action to take
• Script practice on how a conversation about mental health or suicide might flow
• Activities that inspire conversation, build resilience & prevent students from crisis
• Empowering staff on what to say/what to do after a suicide loss on campus
• Paying attention to your mental health and that of your co-workers
• Steps to minimize contagion and cohort suicide (and definitions of the terms)
• Turning grief into action to find a path to healing

AnneMoss Rogers

AnneMoss Rogers is a leading wellness and suicide education expert and one of the top mental health speakers and suicide prevention speakers. Known for her powerful, motivational keynotes, AnneMoss combines her personal story of loss with proven strategies to help organizations build a wellness culture that drives results and saves lives.  She speaks at conferences, workplaces, K-12 schools, and universities, delivering impactful presentations that inspire change and promote mental health awareness.
AnneMoss does this work in memory of her son, Charles, who struggled with anxiety, depression, and addiction, and died by suicide at age 20 in 2015.