Why and How Schools Can Prevent Suicide

Culture of Caring

Why and How Schools Can Prevent Suicide

January 26, 2021 / By: Theodora Schiro

Especially during the COVID Pandemic, schools are a key setting for suicide prevention. Teachers, mental health providers, and all other school personnel who interact with students can play an important role in keeping them safe.

Visit the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) for information and an extensive source of resources.

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.

More Details