We have another question from a school administrator.
"What suggestions do you have for a school? We have a student who has attempted suicide three times and is in sixth grade. They have been to a center three times, but the center only keeps the child for three days and then releases them. How do we support them?"
As a school, having a team approach is crucial. We want to foster connections—with peers, teachers, the school counselor, and the student's parents. My guess is the parents may not know what to do, so a proper evaluation is necessary.
You may or may not be able to influence this, but finding a counselor for the family to develop tools and strategies to help the child is essential. A sixth grader experiencing suicidal thoughts or attempts is very young, which suggests complex underlying issues that need to be addressed. As an administrator or teacher, you may not know the full depth of those issues.
In this situation, I would want to ask questions about their environment—have they experienced abuse or bullying? What factors have contributed to these emotional responses? A sixth grader is around 10 to 12 years old, which is a very young age to feel that life is not worth living.
A professional counselor is needed to assess various factors, including biological and environmental influences at both school and home. If there are environmental challenges, we need to involve more people to support this child and create a setting where they can begin to thrive and recognize the value of life.
There are wonderful resources available, such as My Life is Worth Living from the Cook Center. It might be helpful to have discussions around some of those videos, which Grace and Emma could share.
