Suicide Awareness and Intervention

If you are an educator and looking for resources to address suicide, here are some credible sources of information, activities, and lesson plans. It is important to inform children about suicide so they have the information they need to ask for help or to help others.

Resources

• Ontario College of Teachers- Supporting Student’s Mental Health - Professional Advisory: Website provides information and resources for educators to support students with mental health concerns and understand how to assist in their support.
• Government of Canada: Preventing suicide: Warning signs and how to help: Information on the warning signs to look out for, resource for help, and what you can do to help someone in crisis.
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)- Suicide: General information relating to suicide including warning signs, causes and risk factors, frequently asked questions,  and programs, services, and resources.
• Canadian Mental Health Association- Preventing Suicide: Web page has information related to suicide including warning signs, how to help a loved one, and where to find help.
• School Mental Health Ontario- Prepare; Prevent; Respond: Quick Reference for Youth Suicide Prevention: A resource providing information on signs to watch for, what to say, and what to do in a crisis.

Lessons and Activities

• KidsHealth in the Classroom - Offers a wide variety of lesson plans for all health topics, including suicide.
  • Grades 6-8: Select Health Problems in the left-hand menu, and under the Emotions & Behavioral Health, there are lesson plans and activities for “Suicide Prevention”
  • Grades 9-12: Select Health Problems in the left-hand menu, and under the Emotions & Behavioral Health, there are lesson plans and activities for “Suicide Prevention”
• Center for Suicide Prevention: Grades 9-12- This 4-lesson plan set, is for Health and Life Skills educators teaching about suicide prevention using the Jay Asher novel Thirteen Reasons Why. The novel is intended to be read between lessons #1 and #2.  Students will begin to identify the complexity of suicide in order to increase help seeking behaviours in themselves and others. At the end of this lesson plan, students will be able to recognize that suicide is complex, identify protective factors, risk factors and warning signs, and describe how they would respond to a friend in crisis.

• OPHEA Healthy Schools Certification- (French Version): Gives your school the tools to promote and enhance the health and well-being of students, school staff, and the broader school community. Contact your school nurse at 519-258-2146 x 1555 for more information on how they can support your school in achieving a Healthy Schools Certification.

Keeping students engaged in any activity is difficult, especially when it comes to discussing their mental health and suicide. By keeping the conversation going, this encourages students to prioritize their mental health and seek care.

• Ophea Ideas for Action: Mental Health: Can be used in conjunction with the Ophea Healthy Schools Certification, or as a starting point to encourage students to start conversations about topics related to mental health in your school and community. This guide provides key information about existing programs and resources, tips for getting started, things to consider, sources of support in your community, in Ontario, and across Canada, and activity ideas in the following areas:
  • School Wide
  • Connected to Classroom
  • Connected to Self
• Jack.org : Start a chapter at your high school. Jack.org is a Canadian charity that partners with youth leaders to improve youth mental health outcomes in their communities. They aim to enhance young people's ability to recognize struggle in both themselves and their peers, seek out appropriate mental health support and resources, and advocate for systems that are better able to meet the diverse and complex needs of young people.
• Develop a committee focused on positive mental health within the school, work with students.

• In September, participate in Suicide Awareness Month activities.
• In May, participate in Mental Health Week (May) with school announcements, student –led activities to promote positive mental health.
• Ensure students feel safe and comfortable in common spaces at your school. Work with students to assess and make improvements to common spaces.
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA): Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST)- Consider having a teacher champion trained in this program. Participants will learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep someone alive.
• CMHA: ASIST Tune-up:  offered to individuals who are looking to refresh the training and improve their comfort, confidence, and competence in using the Pathway for Assisting Life model. The full 2-day training must have been taken within the last 3 years. 

Resources and Support in the Community

• Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare Regional Children’s Centre:  If your child is under the age of 16 and at immediate risk to harm self or others, please proceed to the Emergency Room at: Windsor Regional Hospital - Metropolitan Campus 1995 Lens Avenue, Windsor, ON. The Regional Children’s Centre works in collaboration with children, youth, and their families who are experiencing mental health and/or developmental concerns. They offer a variety of programs and services that are flexible and designed to meet the individual needs of each child and family.
• Hôtel-Dieu Grace  Community Crisis Centre of Windsor-Essex County:  If a teen is 16 years of age and older and experiencing an acute mental illness and/or psychosocial crisis call the crisis telephone line 519-973-4435 or go to your nearest emergency department. Walk in services are provided at the Community Crisis Centre within the Transitional Stability Centre at 744 Ouellette Ave. and available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 7 days/week. Follow-up crisis counselling and referrals are also offered through this centre.
• Windsor-Essex County Youth Services Card: provides contact information to local services for youth in Windsor-Essex County.
• Youth Wellness Hub: For youth aged 12-25 offering walk-in mental health services, substance use and addiction services, access to a Nurse Practitioner for primary care, and community social services.  The Youth Wellness Hub also offers recreational activities and peer support. Services available in Windsor and Leamington locations
• WEConnectKids: a partnership between the five core service providers for child and youth mental health and addiction services in Windsor/Essex. It is a free, confidential mental health service for children, youth, and families who live in Windsor-Essex.
• Mental Health and Addiction Nurse: 519-258-8211 or 1-888-447-4468- High school students can call to talk about alcohol, cannabis, opioids, or other substances. A school, hospital, or community agency can also refer online or by calling the number above.
• Maryvale: provides single session phone/virtual services for youth ages 13 to 17 years in need of brief services, but are not connected to a therapist. They also have support call-in service for parents/caregivers of youth ages 13-17 that focuses on developing positive relationships an improving communication.
• Teen Health: Offers confidential, general counselling to eligible individuals ages five and up. Counselling is a collaborative process focused on increasing the well-being of our clients.

Additional Resources and Support:

• Kids Help Phone- Crisis Text Line: chat with a trained, volunteer crisis responder for support any time, about anything, via text message. The texting service is free and available across Canada 24/7. To start using the texting service, text CONNECT to 686868.
• Connex Ontario: Helps Ontarians find mental health, addiction and problem gambling services in the province. Call 1-866-531-2600 or text CONNEX to 247247.
• Mental Health Commission of Canada-Talking to Children about a Suicide: A conversation tool to help parents/caregivers understand how to speak with children in their lives when a suicide happens in the community or if someone they know has died by suicide.
• School Mental Health Ontario- Suicide Prevention Guide for Parents and Families: a guide designed to help answer some frequently asked questions so that you can prepare, prevent, and respond if your child or teen is experiencing thoughts of suicide.
• One Stop Talk: A virtual “walk-in” counselling program to connect children, youth, and their families with more convenient and timely ways to access mental health counselling. Connect with a clinician by phone, video conference, text, and chat without an appointment.
• BounceBack®: Toll-free: 1-866-345-0224 A free cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) program that offers guided mental health self-help supports for adults and youth 15 and older.
• Health811: Call 8-1-1 (TTY: 1-866-797-0007), a free, secure, confidential service Ontarians can call or access online 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive health advice from qualified health professionals, such as registered nurses, locate local health services. Can access resources or chat live online.