A few stories that inspire us;
see what you think.
"I'm grateful for the H.E.L.P. curriculum"
A health teacher who has delivered our HELP curriculum in her high school classes recently wrote Lisa Watson, YSPP Curriculum Coordinator and shared that the curriculum had helped her deal with a family member who was having suicidal thoughts. Because she had been teaching the curriculum for several years, she indicated that it was much easier to understand the many challenges the person was facing, provide comfort and to think logically through a difficult time. “I’m grateful for the HELP curriculum; it’s made a difference in my home and to many young people at our school.
They knew this was "too big a problem to handle on their own"
Two students came to the counseling office at the middle school concerned about a friend who expressed some suicidal ideation on the phone the evening before. They said that they knew this was too big a problem to handle on their own and asked for the counselor’s help. They said that they had learned this through a lesson on suicide prevention in their health class. Their friend who was suicidal attended a different middle school so a counselor at that school was contacted and intervened.
Without specific training on suicide prevention, how can anyone – youth or adult – be expected to know how to help save a life?
YSPP has a lasting impact in schools
There is nothing more satisfying to realize that what students learn through their peer-to-peer prevention efforts stays with them. Five years ago a middle school student at Pacific Middle School (Clark County, Washington) learned the warning signs and intervention strategies for at-risk peers. Now at college, the student is concerned about a peer and knows to ask for more help. It is difficult to formally measure our prevention efforts, but here is evidence that education makes a difference now and later.
Read her email to Rene Corbin - High School Suicide Prevention Leader:
Hi Ms. Corbin. I don't know if you remember me, but this is student's name from your 8th grade youth suicide prevention program 5 years ago. I am now in college and someone that lives in my dorm has just told a good friend of mine that he has been very depressed lately and is thinking suicidal thoughts. I remember that this means that he is reaching out, looking for someone to help him out of it, and the 3 steps: show you care, ask the question, and get help immediately. So tomorrow, i plan on talking to him about it and I'm going to encourage him to seek counseling, but I think it will be difficult because he said that there is only a very small group of people that he trusts with this: the good friend of mine that he told, me, and his neighbor. I don't feel like I know how to handle the situation perfectly, so if you could contact me as soon as possible, it would be greatly appreciated.
Student's Name
TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS
A quiet and somewhat shy young woman had a strong desire to help others. Sarah, who suffers from depression and has attempted suicide, is a student at an alternative high school. She signed up for the peer-to-peer training because she wanted to learn how to help friends who were in a similar situation as her own. She also took on the task of creating a logo and marketing package for the community’s first-ever suicide awareness event. Sarah attended the coalition’s meetings over the summer and also spoke at the fall event. She now plans to remain involved with the community task force and to continue to support peer trainings in her school.
One week after we trained a classroom full of middle school students to recognize the warning signs for suicide and the strategies for helping, Erin began receiving text messages from her friend, Joe. Joe was depressed and discouraged and thinking about suicide. Erin responded by showing concern and asking direct questions – just as she had learned in class – and then went to the school counselor for help. Erin admits being scared when she started getting the texts from Joe but is grateful that she had listened to the presentation in class and learned what to do.
GLBTQ OUTLoud Program
YSPP was honored with the 2008 Seattle Mayor’s Award for our commitment to social justice and leadership in addressing the issues in the GLBT community. The mayor also proclaimed June 5th GLBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Day!
It is not uncommon to be approached by young people after I conduct a workshop. They ask for help or want resources related to suicide or their GLBT identity. Recently Brianna told me that she had “a friend” who was self harming; Brianna wanted to find a way to get her to stop the behavior. Probably because I took her seriously, she began to trust me; in a short time Brianna disclosed that she was actually the individual who was self-harming and not “a friend”. I was able to refer her to an outpatient counseling program at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and Brianna is now receiving treatment for her cutting behavior.
John killed himself, but his family couldn't understand why. While trying to make sense of the tragedy, they were able to look through his computer’s search history and discovered a child who was struggling with his sexual orientation. In his Internet searches, John posed questions like “Am I gay?”, “Is it OK to be gay?”, “Does God love gay people?” John’s parents had no idea he was struggling; they believed they did not know any gay people.
READY, WILLING & ABLE COMMUNITIES
Becky had been involved in the suicide prevention group for two years during high school. When she graduated last year she had no idea that she would actually put the helping skills she had learned and taught her peers into practice. Becky’s adult friend, Mike, confided in Becky that Mia had been talking about hurting herself. Mike believed that Mia would hate him if he revealed her potential for suicide to her family. Becky convinced Mike that they needed to share their concern so that Mia could get some help. Becky thinks that some adults, like Mike, have too much pride to go to a counselor and that his pride (maybe fear?) could have gotten in the way of getting Mia the help she needed. The faculty liaison who told us this story said, “It’s nice to hear that what students learn and teach others follows them into the adult world.”
Many providers were frustrated by this organization’s lack of communication and coordination. They felt that this organization made it difficult to access mental health services especially during crisis situations. As a result of a community conversation that YSPP initiated, this organization agreed to participate in a series of meetings with other community organizations. By the end of the meeting staff from this organization agreed to exchange visits with staff from other community agencies, and best of all, this organization agreed to designate a particular staff person as a point of contact for the other community providers to ensure more responsive services for youth during a suicidal crisis.
A member of the Yakima County Coalition who works in community education for the Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital utilized her summer intern to develop a radio PSA on suicide prevention. The PSA was recorded in English and Spanish. The intern has since been hired by the hospital and is working to identify other venues for the PSA, such as the Grocery Outlet and Fred Meyer. Who knows how far this education will reach!!
CURRICULA FOR KIDS
- Ben knew that Shelly had been depressed for months and that she had often tried to drown her problems with alcohol. When Ben got this call from Shelly, he was frightened but quickly recalled his recent lesson from the HELP curriculum. While continuing to talk to Shelly on his cell phone and not allowing her to be alone, he also called 911 from his home phone. The medics arrived in time to save her life! In reviewing the situation with Shelly, she is convinced that she would have taken her life that night if Ben had not called 911.
- Lily was constantly saying things like, “I can’t handle it anymore” and “Nobody cares about me”. One day she wrote a note to her friend, Emma sharing her feelings regarding an incident that had happen recently. In reply, Emma wrote back and asked Lily if she was thinking of suicide. Lily replied with a “yes”. After class, Emma gave the note to her teacher who turned it over to a counselor. The counselor called home and Lily is now in counseling and feeling much better. The health teacher was quite amazed that Emma had used the actual intervention steps that she had been taught in the H.E.L.P. curriculum.
- Vanessa Lindgren, Middle School Counselor, Chief Leschi School writes, “When you look at what statistics show us regarding Native American youth and suicide rates, we see that this population has the highest rate of suicide in the country when compared to other youth. We need to be honest with them that depression is an illness that’s a factor in most youth suicides and a lot of young people deal with it. I want our students to learn that talking to someone about their own or a friend’s problem doesn’t make them weak or disloyal but, in fact, strong and helpful."
Training put into Action
One of our newest volunteer board members excitedly reported that he had already applied the skills that he’d learned in his training-orientation. Scot explained that a colleague was despondent about his failing business. Scot noticed some of the warning signs that he had learned and admitted proceeding with some fear and trepidation to ask his colleague directly about thoughts of suicide. The colleague acknowledged that he had a rope in his car and was planning to end his life and to end the pain and humiliation of living. Scot is an independent business owner – not a social worker or counselor - but his new knowledge about suicide prevention and his willingness to get involved saved a life. An amazing way to begin a three year term on the YSPP volunteer board!
Personal Revelation of Importance of Suicide Prevention
Jacob, a student at Central Kitsap Junior High School, has been a peer educator for several years. He has taught his classmates how to recognize the warning signs for suicide and how to get help for a friend who is depressed and thinking about ending it all. Because of his commitment to his school’s prevention efforts he was asked to present at the Survivors of Suicide Teleconference in Bremerton. While he was nervous standing up in front of the crowd, he was “blown away” by all of the people who had been impacted by suicide. There were mothers who had lost sons and daughters, and wives whose husbands had taken their lives. There was a brother who had lost his only sibling. Jacob said, “That event had a profound effect on me; now more than ever, I know why suicide prevention is SO important.”
Youth Helped by Class Presentation
Several days after giving a suicide prevention presentation to students at a nearby middle school, the three student-facilitators visited the local Dairy Queen. One of the girls who had listened to their presentation approached and told them that prior to their presentation she had been feeling depressed. She told them that she had not been getting along with her mother. “Your presentation helped me talk with my mother about how I was feeling and now I feel better”. She gave them all a big hug, said, “thanks”, and walked away.
Recognition for Need of College Suicide Prevention
Having been involved in a suicide prevention effort in high school, Pam thought it was strange that her college didn’t seem to have any information for students who were struggling with thoughts of suicide. She was familiar with depression, having experienced her own feelings of despair and hopelessness. Pam decided that something needed to change so she recruited several caring friends and together they wrote up a constitution for a suicide prevention team. They presented their idea to a university board and have now been formally recognized as a club on campus. Their goal is to raise awareness about the problem of college-aged suicide and the resources for help. Already Pam and her friends have used chalk on campus walkways to communicate some of the sad statistics and they have linked those facts to crisis response through 1-800-273-TALK.
A Grateful Mother's Story
A mother called one of our field coordinators after attending a YAPP educational presentation and reported that her 14 year old son had announced that he no longer wanted to live. Because of the knowledge that she had gained at the presentation, she was able to talk to him directly about suicide and ask him if he had a plan. When he said “yes,” the mother reported that they “embarked on a journey together” to get him some help. She wanted us to know that she tells all kinds of people about YSPP and how our presentation helped her deal with her son and how their journey did not end in tragedy.
Kudos for YSPP's Important Work
“I think it’s wonderful what you are doing.” This comment came from a mother who felt that help came too late for her family; her husband died by suicide. She continued, “In 1985 no one talked about suicide or the death of a parent or family member. I had to wing it with my boys. I remember one teacher went out and bought a book to read and figure out how to deal with my sons. Luckily my boys and I survived. Thank you so much for educating people.”
Speaking from Experience
“Part of me doesn’t want to say it, but we haven’t had a kid make a suicide attempt that’s resulted in a hospitalization since we’ve started the program. I think it has given everyone a way to talk about it. I think that the teachers have really integrated it into their thinking.” This comment was shared by a middle school counselor who has been actively involved in suicide prevention programs for nearly a decade.
It's Okay to Talk About It
"From my perspective our school’s suicide prevention effort has gotten the subject out in the open so that it is okay to talk about and has let people know that that kind of thing (suicidal behavior) needs to be reported. It’s brought it from the back of the room to the front."
A New Willingness to Help
"The presentation has made a change in me. I will not be afraid to ask a person if they are sad and be willing to talk.”
A Trusted Resource Now
Tom Juvic, a psychology teacher opened up his classrooms for the 45-minute peer-to-peer presentations and explained their value by saying, “Kids come to me quite a bit; I think part of that is the adults who have hosted these sessions become identified as helping adults. So I have kids that I really don’t know that well who come up to me and say, 'hey, we’ve got this friend that we are worried about – what can we do?'”
A Letter of Thanks
Note sent to school counselor from a student who had graduated:
“Over my three years at Islander, I went through so many teachers but none of them ever taught me anything as useful as the things I learned through you and the Natural Helpers. I feel like I really have the tools because of it to help my friends when they need me or people who aren’t my friends too, and I have helped a lot of people I feel. Last night when I was talking to a boy from another high school he told me of his plans for suicide I knew exactly what to do because of everything you taught us in YSPP. I was on the hotline for an hour and I am pretty sure I saved his life. Without everything I learned I wouldn’t have taken him seriously or known what to do. I realize I never really thanked you for everything after middle school. It meant a lot to me to have one consistent teacher who was always there, that I could trust and talk to about things. Again thank you so much for all the things you helped me with.”
Commitment to Community Outreach
After hearing Celisa Hopkins facilitate a presentation about depression and youth suicide prevention, the President of the Junior League in Yakima decided that it was time for her organization to get involved. She admitted that in her fourteen years with the Junior League they had never highlighted the issue of youth suicide. “As volunteers who are committed to this community, we need to rally in support of our children and prevent this tragedy of suicide.” The women of the Junior League of Yakima were able to raise nearly $3,000 to support the activities of the local suicide prevention coalition. It is all about heightening awareness and saving lives.