My Story

Culture of Caring

February 19, 2021 / By: Theodora Schiro

The idea of a person taking their own life used to make me sad, so I just didn't dwell on it. Suicide is a tough topic to talk about. I thought it was one of those things that happened to other people and didn't directly affect me. Until it did.

Advocating and Spreading Awareness: Fighting Suicide in Honor of My Son
by Theodora Schiro
Published by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) in February 2021.

Direct Link to article:

https://afsp.org/story/advocating-and-spreading-awareness-fighting-suicide-in-honor-of-my-son

A Culture of Caring: A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools (K-12) was created as a resource for educators who want to know how to get started and what steps to take to create a suicide prevention plan that will work for their schools and districts. It is written from my perspective as a school principal and survivor of suicide loss, not an expert in psychology or counseling. I hope that any teacher, school counselor, psychologist, principal, or district administrator can pick up this book, flip to a chapter, and easily find helpful answers to the questions they are likely to have about what schools can do to prevent suicide.

Theodora Schiro

After our 21 year old son died by suicide in 2011, my husband and I became actively involved in suicide prevention. Determined to increase awareness and prevent other families from suffering the loss of a child, we got involved with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, AFSP.

We learned a lot about prevention and advocated for legislation supporting suicide prevention both locally and in Washington, DC. We have provided training to school personnel and community groups on youth suicide prevention all over the state. We noticed that many educators wanted more resources to help them create their own prevention plans. So I put everything we’ve learned into a handbook for schools. As a former educator, now an author, I hope this book will help others involved in suicide prevention provide support to schools.

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