DashNDustem - 2019-08-25 7:54 PM
Nateracer - 2019-08-24 5:48 PM
I need help. Not for me. For my students. Maybe some for me, I guess.
In the past school year, I had 2 students in my class either attempt or threaten suicide. A couple others talked about not being around anymore but snapped out of it quickly with some chats.
School starts Monday. Today one came in today to check out his computer and left a note that was close to a goodbye letter and then left the building. Long story short, he was in contact with his mom and was found ok and calmed down.
Can anyone direct me to more resources to give to the kids besides the suicide hotline? Iowa is few and far between for docs and counselors for mental health.
Can anyone offer resources to keep me from heartbreak and worry over these kids who aren’t mine, but are in my heart? This whole deal just sucks. Not sure how long I’ll be able to continue in this profession with this stress and turmoil.
Being a mental health professional, my first piece of advice is to not let yourself dive too deep into being a potential lifeline. Being supportive is exceptionally important, but having someone who is indeed suicidal requires someone who is TRAINED in knowing what to look for when it comes to someone who is having suicidal ideations, having the means, attempts, and commitment. The only reason why I am saying this is because as a teacher, that is not a part of your job description. You may want to help someone, but one thing I learned in undergrad by a teacher who was a Psychiatrist for 20+ years is that you cannot save everyone. There a lot of underlying reasons that could usher someone into taking their own life, and when they are at that point, there is something significantly wrong considering they are mentally bypassing the most innate human instinct.. which is to survive.
That being said, if you do not have the correct knowledge base and training, something like that can emotionally wear you down.. especially if they do finally commit suicide. Because then you will be put in a position of asking, what could I have done? Is this my fault? Could I have done anything differently? If you said something to them, did it send them over the edge? That can send YOU into states of depression, doubt, grief ect. which may affect it, and even lead to you needing some form of therapy in order to adjust your cognitive thinking.
Moving forward, a good resource is to dial 211. That is a national resource where if you call them, they will provide you with information and refer you to therapist, counselors, inpatient facilities, ER etc. and also give you some ideas on how to handle that situation. A couple of years ago I had intervened in a similar situation on a family member who was suicidal. Even though I couldn't go to them, I gave them the 211 number and they were able to find him a counselor, place him in inpatient and also give him some stabilization for the time being.
I will also say that working with young kids/teenagers that are suicidal can be hard, because in the end if they are underage unless CPS is involved(which if they are called, I would highly suggest you have accurate information because you could ruin a family's life if you don't. I've seen it happen.), the parents are the ones who have to make the final decision on the individual treatment. And if the parents are part of the problem, then generally your hands are tied and that alone can be a hard position to be in.
Hope this helps.
Folks on-line