Welcome Back

Orange High!
Sept 11 2018

New Initiative!
ASIST
I hope you all had a great restful summer, I
know I sure have! As we get into the swing of
things and settle into the new year I thought I
would introduce the new mental health initiative
we will be implementing for all certificated and WHY ASIST?
some classified staff members. It is important
that we work collaboratively on this effort. This The statistics are
year we will be providing Applied Suicide alarming
Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) where all • Suicide is the 3rd leading
teachers and support will be trained to respond cause of death in people
to youth at risk of suicide. ages 10-24.

Studies show that professionals trained in • 90% of individuals who

ASIST in K-12 settings (Shannonhouse, Shaw, die from suicide have an
underlying mental illness.
& Porter, 2017):
• Identify appropriate helper responses Myths Debunked
• Have helpful attitudes/beliefs towards
• Warning signs—verbally
suicide or behaviorally—precede
• Gain realistic knowledge about suicide most suicides. Therefore,
it’s important to learn and
• Are comfortable, confident, & competent understand them.
in responding to those at risk of suicide
• Talking about suicide not
only reduces the stigma,
but also allows
individuals to seek help.
Let’s start a
conversation.
,bk

Statistics & Myths: Nami; Fuller,K.

Image from medium.com
We are excited to be offering this training through our partnership with
Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in order to be more helpful
professionals to our students and become more competent at addressing
this serious issue. Suicide risk is impacting the children we know and
work with every day.

You may be thinking: Why utilize a community agency like Didi Hirsch? It
has been shown that outside collaboration with community agencies:
1. Boosts staff and student morale
2. Heightens engagement in the schools’ work and defined goals
3. Increases hopeful feelings towards goal achievement
4. Offers additional opportunities, supports, and enrichment for
students
5. Enhances and fills in resource and service gaps
(NASP;Michigan.gov)

Feel free to browse the Didi Hirsch website prior to our training as well as
the following resources:
• www.didihirsch.org
• https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-
Caregivers/Preventing-Suicide
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-
health/in-depth/teen-suicide/art-20044308

I look forward to meeting with you at our next PLC!

The future starts now!

Blair Nelson
Orange High School Counselor

Image from peakgrantmaking.org

References
j

Fuller, K. (2018, September 6) Five Common Myths About Suicide

Debunked. Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-
Blog/September-2018-(1)/5-Common-Myths-About-Suicide-Debunked
Mental Health by the Numbers. Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/Learn-
More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers
Nine Elements of Effective School Community Partnership. National
Association of School Psychologists. Retrieved from www.nasponline.org
Shannonhouse, L., Lin, Y. D., Shaw, K., & Porter, M. (2017). Suicide
Intervention Training for K-12 Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Study on
ASIST. Journal of Counseling & Development, 95(1), 3-13.
doi:10.1002/jcad.1211
The Importance of School and Community Collaboration. Retrieved from
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/The_Importance_of_School_and_Co
mmunity_Collaboration_156613_7.pdf

Images from:
medium.com
peakgrantmaking.org