Recommended Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources

Recommended Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources for NYS Schools, Families, and Students

 

For Parents/Families:

 

1. NY Project Hope website -- Coping with COVID: Tips for parents of children and adolescents

This is a resource that helps parents and other caregivers recognize and help children and adolescence cope with stress.

2. Parenting in the Pandemic: A guide for the perplexed. Teen mental health and wellness resource This is a collection of articles relevant to parenting during the pandemic including useful tips and reminders.

a. Schools can order from 30-100 hardcopy booklets and have them shipped to them for free using this link.

b.Alternatively, a free digital flipbook version is also available here.

3. Brief (< 4 min) suicide prevention awareness video from the Mayo Clinic (YouTube)

This is a video that dispels the myths about suicide and instructs parents on what to do if their child is depressed or if the parent suspects their child is having suicidal thoughts.

4. From the Suicide Prevention Center of NY: What every parent should know about youth suicide (PDF Handout)

This brochure coaches parents on recognizing suicide risk in their child and how to navigate the conversations that will inform the next steps.

 

For Students:

 

1. Press Pause (webpage)

This website is a wellness skills builder, with videos and tips for stress reduction/coping.

2. “What every student needs to know: warning signs” - Suicide Prevention Student brochure from SPCNY (PDF)

3. From the Jed Foundation-- Help a friend in need (PDF)

 

This brochure is a helpful guide on how to help a friend that a student is worried about.

4. Northwell School Mental Health - A School District Collaborative

 

At Risk Populations:

 

1. BEAM is a national training, movement building and grant making organization dedicated to the healing, wellness and liberation of Black and marginalized communities.

2. Therapy for Black Girls has a great podcast and offers other resources and tools.

3. Survival Guide for Wise Latinas

a.Survival Guide for Wise Latinas (English)

b.Survival Guide for Wise Latinas (Spanish)

4. The Trevor Project offers tools, resource, crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.

5. Act to Change grew out of a White House public awareness initiative to address bullying, discrimination, and hate crimes against Asian American Pacific Islander, Sikh, Muslim, and immigrant youth. The website has a Racism is a Virus Toolkit for classroom use along with an anti-bullying presentation that can be

 

downloaded.

 

For Educators:

1. The Mental Health Association in NYS’s (MHANYS) School Mental Health Resource & Training Center

This is a website that offers tools, webinars, and trainings that schools can use to educate students about mental health – from instructional resources to staff development, and information for families.

2. National Alliance on Mental Illness of NYS (information for educators, families, and teens).

This website offers resources for mental health education and curriculum development in schools.

3. Brief videos on suicide warning signs and providing a warm handoff

a.Video – Warning Signs

b.Video –Warm Handoff

4. Handouts from the Suicide Prevention Center of NY:

a.What every teacher should know about suicide

This brochure details how to recognize suicide risk in students and the role of teachers in getting help.

b.Talking points for classroom discussions about suicide

This brochure discusses the do’s and don’ts of suicide prevention discussions in the classroom.

5. The Directing Change Program and Film Contest was created to educate young people about critical health topics through the medium of film and promote social justice by changing conversations in schools and communities. Students are educated about the topics and provided with support to create their own messaging directed at peers, which then can be used in schools and communities to raise awareness and engage in dialogue in an effort to reduce stigma.

a. View the Tip Sheet for ideas to enhance prevention and outreach efforts using the films through social media, with community partners and in your school.

b. There are many films to choose from – explore the links on the Directing Change website to find a PSA that best meets the needs of your school community.

      • Below are a few examples:

The Empty Seat (suicide prevention) – provides a hopeful message that by recognizing warning signs and connecting peers to help, youth can save a life.

Naiveté (mental health stigma) – debunks the myth that people with a mental health issue are debilitated and unable to function. Instead, it sends the message that youth with

mental health problems “just need a little help”.

Caged Bird (Mandarin w/English subtitles) – addresses mental health stigma in the Chinese community, specifically illustrating generational differences in beliefs and attitudes about mental health.

 

For School Leaders:

 

1. The New York Trauma-Informed Network

This website offers trauma–responsive tools and resources.

2. From the Suicide Prevention Center of NY: A Guide to Suicide Prevention in New York Schools

This is a comprehensive guide about understanding suicide and the role that schools can play in preventing suicide.

3. Suicide Safety Training for school staff: Contact SPC-NY to identify a local staff development professional who is certified to provide brief suicide awareness training.