Suicide Prevention for Educators

Suicide Prevention 101 & Debunking Myths

Course Description

Unfortunately, some educators are more familiar with myths about suicide than facts and data. It is essential to help debunk myths about suicide so that educators can better understand their role, their response, and their impact. How myths are debunked is critically important. There are new data suggesting that focusing on myths may be counterproductive. Trainings that cover this area should focus almost exclusively on the accurate information and not attend to the myth much at all.

What You’ll Learn

Participants will be able to identify common myths about suicide that may interfere with prevention efforts and perpetuate stigma.

Participants will be able to discuss facts about suicide to debunk common myths.

Participants will be able to identify risk/protective factors and warning signs for youth suicide as portrayed through a video vignette.

Learning Assests

Joiner, T. (2010). Myths about suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center (2012). The Role of High School Teachers in Preventing Suicide.

American Association of Suicidology, in collaboration with the National Center for the Prevention of Youth Suicide. Myths about Suicide.

Available Here

Preventing Youth Suicide from Youth.gov.

Available Here

Note: Please know that in 3 months, you may receive emails about future trainings or evaluations regarding the prevent suicide NJ portal as an evaluation as we would welcome your feedback about the use of this training in your life/work.

Facilitators

Matthew Wintersteen, Ph.D

Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior Director of Research, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University; Executive Board, Prevent Suicide PA, Philadelphia, PA

Terri A. Erbacher, Ph.D

Clinical Associate Professor, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; Author of Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner’s Guide to Multi-Level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention