"How to Help a Friend"

Tolt 6th, 7th and 8th graders will participate in a presentation on suicide prevention in their social studies class on Thursday, January 13th. The presentation, “How to Help a Friend,” is a youth suicide prevention program that follows a peer-to-peer training model. Students learn how they can identify and help their peers/friends that may be experiencing hardship or struggling. High school students are engaged as peer trainers for the “How to Help a Friend” suicide prevention training. We find that younger students pay closer attention to the message when it is being delivered from an older student rather than an adult. The presentation is provided by the Empower Youth Network (www.empoweryouthnetwork.org). The program is based on the work of Washington State's Youth Suicide Prevention Program (YSPP), established in 1999 to lead statewide effort to reduce youth suicide. For more information, please see the following link: www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/631-058-SuicidePrevPlan.pdf. We understand this can be a sensitive topic, and if this is the case for your child, they may be excused for the duration of the lesson. Please contact the Tolt Counseling Center at (425) 844-4607 if you would like your child to opt out of the presentation. Below, we have included the contact for the Tolt counselors. Additionally, we’ve included some telephone numbers that can be helpful for people dealing with concerns surrounding suicide. · 1-800-SUICIDE · Crisis Text Line: 741-741 · 24-hour Crisis Line 866-4CRISIS · Teen Link 206-461-4922 · National Prevention Line 1-800-273-TALK Thank you, Carrie Diligencia School Counselor Last names A-K (425)844-4608 diligenciac@rsd407.edu Tim Suchsland School Counselor Last names L-Z (425)844-4609 suchslandt@rsd407.edu