Hope Policy Academy aimed to help educators bridge the gap between suicide prevention, intervention in districts where it’s needed most
With the goal of preventing youth #suicide by helping schools set up a student support system, the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis hosted the Hope Policy Academy June 6.
“Schools represent a significant opportunity to identify, link and provide #mentalhealth services for youth who are not connected to #mentalhealth resources and create an opportunity to significantly shift the trajectory of #suicide in our country, if given the adequate resources,” said Ryan Lindsay, assistant dean for social work and an associate professor of practice, who was one of the featured speakers at the conference in Hillman Hall.
“Approximately 80% of youth who die by #suicide were not connected to #mentalhealth services in the year prior to their death, and only 7.5% received #mentalhealth services in the month prior to their death,” he said. “Therefore, schools are likely interfacing with these youth. By improving our #suicide response systems, we have an opportunity to identify youth sooner and link to early interventions. This requires improving school capacity to develop, implement and evaluate #suicide prevention policies and practices. #TheHopePolicyAcademy is attempting to fill this gap.”
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Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
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Most Missouri school districts aren’t prepared to prevent, intervene or properly support students contemplating suicide and/or the school community after the death of a student, said Lindsay, who teaches and advises students in the #mentalhealth concentration in the Master of Social Work program.
“At best, there may be intervention policies, but what about support post-attempt?” Lindsay asked. “How does one communicate with a student body after the death of a peer? The ways in which this happens matters greatly, and even more so because the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has mandated that each district should have a prevention, intervention and ‘postvention’ policy and practice in place.”
(Postvention refers to a school’s response to healing after the loss of a student by suicide.)
Lindsay has a forthcoming study, conducted between March and November 2018, that has found that that among 72 Missouri school districts surveyed, 63.49% had a #suicide intervention policy; 54.95% had a #suicideprevention policy; and 43% had a #suicide postvention policy — in spite of Missouri House Bill 1593 requiring #suicideprevention policies to be in place by July 1, 2018.
Additionally, the study found that most of the Missouri districts with #suicideprevention/intervention/postvention policies serve predominantly white students.
“Our study showed significant variability in schools’ current capacity to implement #suicideprevention and intervention policies, specifically among schools that serve lower income and predominantly non-white students,” he said. “These results have implications related to racial equity in school capacity to address #suicide in schools and suggest that community stakeholders prioritize this equity gap.”
#TheHopePolicyAcademy was organized by Lindsay and the Brown School as a response to that identified gap. It was aimed at school-based stakeholders who are charged with developing, implementing and evaluating school-based #suicide prevention policies in Missouri.
In collaboration with Erika Gonzalez, manager of urban education initiatives at the Brown School, and Saras Chung, executive director of SkipNV, a St. Louis provider of education space and opportunities, the event’s vision of bringing together over 100 school stakeholders from across the state was realized.
“The conference provided an opportunity for Missouri school stakeholders to receive technical assistance to help facilitate the development and implementation of model #suicideprevention policies,” Lindsay said. “The Hope Policy Academy provided information on best practices to improve existing #suicideprevention policies and practices.”
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org