2020 California Student Mental Wellness Conference

There are few things more challenging than dealing with the loss of a student or staff member in your school district; especially when you aren’t prepared to do so. While the loss of life is something every student, parent, educator, and community member hopes we won’t have to face during the school-age years; the reality is that a majority of students will experience the loss of a fellow student or staff member while they are in school. This workshop will help provide educators, parents, and community advocates with resources and information to help establish or improve administrative protocols and district-wide policies for responding to loss in schools. This workshop represents some of the lessons learned during the past decade of school-based suicide prevention work.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will gain an understanding of how to go about developing a comprehensive district-wide suicide prevention plan, including intervention and postvention efforts

2. Participants will develop an awareness of how to involve various stakeholders in school-based loss response efforts

3. Participants will be provided with examples of communication templates; including staff, student, parent, and community messaging

4. Participants will learn about research-based approaches to messaging and memorialization; and how to practically implement this guidance