Page 5 - BPS News March 2018

BPS is dedicated to strengthening youth mental health
By Jennifer Wol nger, BPS News editor
The Division of Student Services is collabora ng with district schools and the community to increase awareness of youth mental health issues, and suicide preven on and awareness.
About these e orts, Dr. Beth Thedy, assistant superintendent of Student Services, said: “The importance of the conversa on around suicide awareness and mental health cannot be overstated. It is paramount that we remove the barriers, discuss signs of suicide, discuss what our children, our educators, our community mental health experts, and our parents are saying and asking. The topic
of mental health and suicide should drive proac ve conversa ons around ac onable interven ons. This cannot be done in a vacuum but must be as a collabora ve, united front with all stakeholders.”
Throughout the year, sta from all
schools have been par cipa ng in “Act
on Facts,” a web-based professional
development course that
addresses the cri cal, but limited,
responsibili es for sta and the risk
and preven ve factors to look for when
students exhibit signs of suicidal idea on.
At this me, Madison Middle, Longleaf
Elementary and Sunrise Elementary have completed the program’s requirements to become Suicide Preven on Cer ed Schools. To qualify, 100 percent of instruc onal faculty must complete the course along with a ending
a faculty discussion about mental health resources available for students.
In addi on, the school board allocated funds for mo va onal and suicide preven on programs and speakers at the 16 district high schools to share messages of hope and resilience. Included were speakers Marc Mero and Chris Holly eld, both former professional wrestlers, and representa ves from To Write Love on Her Arms, a non-pro t organiza on dedicated to people struggling with depression, addic on, self-injury and suicide.
Furthermore, there are ve district trainers for Youth Mental Health First Aid who provided training at the Cocoa area schools that are part of the Na onal Ins tute of Jus ce grant. Administrators and selected personnel from ve addi onal secondary schools also par cipated,
and training will con nue to be o ered through next year. Par cipants receive intensive training on assis ng adolescents experiencing depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, self-injury and other signi cant issues. Sta are taught a ve-step ac on plan for assis ng students in both crisis and non-crisis
situa ons.
District sta also support the Youth Mental Health Task Force with Parrish Medical
Center and Hannah’s Heroes, a teen suicide preven on organiza on. The task force’s
media campaign is being directed at youth with the tagline “Start the Conversa on.” The campaign goal is to encourage student
involvement in suicide preven on and awareness ac vi es.
Sources of Strength, an evidence-based suicide preven on program, is also o ered at ve
north area secondary schools with plans to expand. Training related to suicide
postven on processes is also being o ered through a partnership with
Florida LINC (Linking Individuals
Needing Care) in the Spring, and the focus of BPS’ annual Youth
Leadership Summit this past Fall was suicide preven on among youth. On
March 17, an “Out of the Darkness Walk” and the “Sources of Strength Carnival” took place to
heighten awareness about reducing teen suicide.
Recently, Student Government Associa on presidents traveled to the Florida Capitol to meet with legislators to lobby for mental health access at schools. Speci cally, the students requested a $1 million state appropria on to have mental health professionals on sta at every secondary school in the state. Parrish Medical Center psychiatrist Dr. Louis Joseph joined the students on the trip to discuss the mental health s gma and BPS’ suicide preven on e orts.
Dr. Thedy said, “Our students are part of the solu on.
It gives me great hope for the future to know how seriously our youth take the mental health crisis we are experiencing and how passionate they are about nding a workable solu on.”
MAKE THIS SCHOOL YEAR
GREATER THAN
LAST YEAR!
Mathnasium of Viera
321-242-6284 (MATH) mathnasium.com/viera