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New Suicide Prevention Training Available to Area Teachers

Posted on July 17, 2015

Johnstown, PA (July 16, 2015) – Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24, and for every suicide death in that age group, there are between 100 and 200 attempts at suicide, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The number one risk factor is depression. In Cambria, Somerset and Bedford counties, the 2013 Pennsylvania Youth Survey found approximately one in three youth in grades 6-12 felt “depressed or sad most days” in the past 12 months, and between 14 and 16 percent admitted to having seriously considered suicide.

In an attempt to prevent suicide and more effectively identify young people at risk for suicide, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passed Act 71, which requires Pennsylvania schools to adopt comprehensive suicide prevention policies and provide formal training in suicide prevention for teachers serving grades 6-12. The law, which was passed in 2014, takes effect beginning with the 2015-16 school year.

“The law requires schools to include four hours of training in youth suicide awareness and prevention in their professional development plans for middle and high school teachers every five years,” explained Jona Duppstadt, director of educational programs at The Learning Lamp. “After being approached by a number of administrators looking for resources for their staff, The Learning Lamp set out to help districts meet Act 71 requirements with a suicide prevention program that is delivered by a Pennsylvania Licensed Social Worker with School Suicide Prevention Accreditation.”

The Learning Lamp is scheduling in-service programs for schools now for the 2015-16 school year. Its School Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training for Educators program uses the state-approved More Than Sad: Suicide Prevention Education for Teachers and Other School Personnel curriculum. Developed by the American Foundation for Suicide prevention, the resource is included in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA Best Practices Registry.

Using More Than Sad as a framework, the training also incorporates locally relevant data from the most recent PAYS survey and engages teachers in break-out sessions with small group discussion and role play. More Than Sad materials are available to schools at no cost. The comprehensive four-hour training is $325. An optional companion program for students, More Than Sad: Teen Depression, is also available to schools.

For more information or to schedule an in-service workshop, call The Learning Lamp at 814.262.0732 or 1.855.301.LAMP (5267).

The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. The Learning Lamp served 19,748 children from 88 school districts and 46 non-public and private schools and other organizations in 18 Pennsylvania counties and two counties in Maryland in 2014.

Our programs include: one-to-one tutoring; before/after school programs; portable classrooms aimed at building math and science skills; alternative education programs for at-risk students; evidence-based prevention programs; online learning and credit recovery; SAT preparation; educationally-focused child care; literacy-based preschool programs; and grant writing and project consulting for schools.

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