In the back of every school counselor’s mind is a constant readiness for that crisis moment you hope won’t come. It’s there while you’re talking to kids holding crayons and teens holding phones, while you’re building partnerships with caregivers, and while you’re educating teachers and administrators. No matter how “typical” your workday may seem, two statistics follow you from class to class, shaping your daily reality.
- You’re stretched thin—doing all you can to support too many students in a single day. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a student-to-counselor ratio of 250 to 1 but California’s ratio is 464 to 1.
The hard truth is that suicide prevention in schools is a critical issue—one that you may have faced already. At Exym, we recognize that you do your job because you care deeply about your students and your community. Though you may feel outnumbered, you’re not alone. To support you, we’ve compiled a list of suicide prevention resources and risk factors, so you’re prepared to respond to each crisis with the best information possible.
Suicide Prevention in Schools
Dr. Ali Mattu, Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia Psychiatry, explains that “Suicidal thoughts are a normal reaction to an abnormal set of circumstances.”
As you know, when students come to school, they bring with them a wide range of life experiences that shape them, sometimes in positive ways, and sometimes in challenging ones. While school counselors and social workers can’t control students’ circumstances 24/7, they can create an environment of awareness and support to bolster suicide prevention efforts.
Here are some of the evidence-based strategies school counselors are implementing to support their students:
- Structured Suicide Risk Assessments
Your county or district likely has its own framework for assessing suicide risk, intervention, and postvention. Your suicide risk assessment might share similarities with the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) or Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Whichever tool you use, the key is to consistently assess risk factors and identify students who might benefit from intervention.
- Staying Current on Suicide Prevention Protocols
The California Department of Education offers suicide prevention resources, but it is critical to be well-versed in your district’s specific protocol before working with a student in crisis.
If you’re unsure about what to do, meet with a district supervisor and your administrators to review your suicide prevention plan, including risk assessments, intervention strategies, and notifications (such as parents, administrators, district personnel or a response team, police, or child protective services) at each stage of a crisis.
- Building an Open and Connected School Community
One of the most proactive ways to support students is by fostering an environment of mental health awareness and non-judgement within your school. Reinforcing this support sends a message to students, staff, and families that they can safely express themselves and seek help when needed.
Building connections between busy students, staff, and families is hard work, but it’s essential. Engaging the community in schoolwide events, peer mentoring programs, or new social spaces strengthens school community networks. Involving adults and communicating the importance of building community can also increase buy-in across the school.
- Following the Latest Trends in Coping and Problem-Solving
Activities and resources like meditation, relaxation rooms, sensory integration, and journaling help students develop skills to cope with circumstances beyond their control. Integrating these activities into the curriculum can support at-risk students, helping them feel less isolated and more engaged with their peers.
Suicide Prevention Resources
We’ve compiled some helpful resources to support suicide prevention in schools, including links to websites, studies, podcasts, and downloadable materials that you can use today.
- Get Ahead of Back-to-School Stress
Summer often brings new experiences and greater independence. But along with new backpacks, some kids may carry extra anxiety into the classroom with them. The Back-to-School Toolkit offers free downloadable social media content and resources in English and Spanish to help raise awareness about mental health issues at the start of the school year. Access CYBHI's Back To School Month Partner Toolkit
- Students: Hear it in Their Own Words
Often, advice for counselors comes from fellow counselors, mental health practitioners, and academics. However, hearing students’ lived experiences straight from the source can be incredibly powerful. Explore Stories of Hope from CalHope Schools to connect directly with students’ voices.
- Get Multiple Viewpoints on School-Related Suicide Risk Factors
If not a village, it certainly takes a team to piece together a student’s mental health story. This study looks at school-related factors in suicide and suicidal thoughts from the perspectives of students, parents, and providers. Read the study from the National Library of Medicine website.
- Stay Current with New Stressors: Cyberbullying
Keep yourself and your staff informed about the latest cyber-based stressors, statistics, and trends impacting your students. Bookmark the Cyberbullying Research Center website and check back often to stay up to date.
- Learn How Childhood Risks Have Evolved Over Time
Explore and share The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt. Visit the author’s website and Listen to the author’s interview on the Good Inside podcast, hosted by Dr. Becky.
- Create Classroom Calming Corners
On those busy days, sometimes the only quiet time you get is during your commute. Take advantage of this time by listening to School Counselor Simplified with Rachel Davis. In this episode on calming corners she discusses their benefits, tips for setting them up, and advice for addressing any pushback (available on Spotify).
- Newsletter Ideas for Family & Friends of At-risk Kids
When school ends for the day, it helps to have a resource to offer families for those after-hours questions. The following can be great additions to your school’s newsletter, website, social media accounts, and/or a handbook:
Count on Exym in a Crisis
When the crisis you’ve been dreading becomes a reality, you can count on Exym. We understand that during an emergency, you’re juggling multiple responsibilities—caring for the student in crisis, looping in district contacts, communicating with administrators, reaching out to parents, and documenting each step. That’s a lot to manage under stress.
Exym’s EHR software is designed to ease some of this burden. Our platform allows you to quickly access student mental health records, review recent updates, and focus on providing the best care. You can complete district-specific risk assessments and forms in real-time, while tracking all documentation in a central hub. Exym even lets you upload your district’s crisis management plan, manage tasks, coordinate follow-up care, and collaborate with colleagues, so your team can work together effectively.
If you’d like to learn more about how Exym helps schools support student mental health, visit our Schools page.
