Stockton Unified School District has adopted a new training program aimed at supporting students’ mental health and preventing suicide.
The “Signs of Suicide” or “SOS” program, developed by the company MindWise Innovations, provides training for students, staff, and parents on how to recognize and respond to signs of suicide in themselves or another person. The program is specifically aimed at preventing teen suicide.
According to the MindWise website, “SOS is an evidence-based youth suicide prevention program that has demonstrated an improvement in students’ knowledge and adaptive attitudes about suicide risk and depression.”
The training provided at FHS also included ways to report concerning behavior or mental health symptoms to school counselors and informs parents and guardians on how to request assistance as well as stay informed about their children. According to FHS community assistants Felicitas Gomez and Eileen Zomora, the SOS program is intended to promote awareness of mental health and assist students who might be at risk of suicide.
FHS parents received an email from the school administrators with information about the SOS program and links to SOS program resources. They were also invited to attend a special Parent Coffee Hour meeting where they could participate in the training.
The letter noted that “SOS has been used by thousands of schools over the past few decades. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.”
All sophomore students attended a training session during their English class earlier this year and faculty and staff members attended a training during a faculty meeting. Ahead of the training, flyers and posters were distributed around campus with SOS program information.
Parents were informed of this training and it was stated that “Students will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend.”
The parent letter also explained that “Following the video, students will complete a response slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns.”
Students who expressed concerns in their response slips were followed up with by members of the counseling staff.
Individuals needing to report signs of suicide in themselves or others can do so by contacting a member of the counseling or Wellness Center staff.
