Education and partnership is the key. Take every opportunity to discuss and present the facts regarding children’s mental health and suicide concerns with parents and families. When families, educators, and youth team up about these issues, all parties will benefit.
Definition
Family and Community Education
Family and community education invites community stakeholders, leaders, providers of health and human services, law enforcement, religious heads, and others to come together to learn “what we know, think, and want to do” about suicide and suicide prevention and apply it to their particular context.
(Adapted from Wexler, et al., 2016)
Best Practices in Family and Community Education
- Engagement with local organizations/agencies
- Counseling on access to lethal means
- Engage families in suicide prevention efforts through education
Engage early.
Engage often.
Engage prior to crisis.
Resources
Family members and caregivers, Suicide Prevention Resource Center
It’s time to talk about it: A family guide for youth suicide prevention, University of South Florida
Parents, Guardians, and Families, Crisis Support Services of Alameda County
Communities, Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Recommendations for Families, Harvard School of Public Health
Counseling on access to lethal means online course, Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Lethal Means Counseling for Parents of Youth Seeking Emergency Care for Suicidality, The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
Parents, Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide