Student Suicide Prevention

I met a student recently who stopped in to see their school counselor for a course request. While there, they saw a basket with bracelets that read “Stay; For Life.” The student took it as a reminder of what they have to live for. They were not suicidal, experiencing trauma or a breakup. But in that moment, they saw something in the school counseling office as a support, an anchor. This bracelet included the national suicide hotline number, 988. The student took it without needing it at that moment, but as a reminder. This one example may have saved a life – and the school counselor may not even know how much that proactive intervention of putting out bracelets may have had. 
 
Our students are struggling with mental health concerns and depression. Suicide remains the second leading cause of death for teens. School counselors are uniquely positioned as the staff member in schools who interacts with each and every student. Through tier-leveled interventions, school counselors teach coping skills and strategies. 
 
School counselors help secure students’ anchors through building connection, purpose and hope. Prioritizing suicide prevention in our school counseling programs means saving lives. Proactively preventing suicide by connecting all of our youth to trusted adults is the most important thing we should focus on.
 
Most school counselors are already teaching conflict resolution skills and facilitating restorative conversations, decreasing bullying. School counselors teach social skills, connect new students to friends and teach students emotion identification. These are all important for connecting every student to support, and for preventing depression. This is the case with the 988 hotline bracelets in the school counseling office that an average teen took as a reminder that help is there, should they need it. If we look at what we’re already doing, we can add to those strategies and look through the lens of suicide prevention to make an impact. 
 

Ways to Connect 

Here are several ideas that school counselors can implement to connect students.

• 988 Hotline – Publicize this number. Start by adding it to your email signature, putting up a magnet in your office, quizzing kids at lunch to see if they know it and posting it in bathroom stalls where kids are more likely to take in the information. Visit SAMHSA’s website to order free hotline stickers and magnets. 
• Erika’s Lighthouse – These dynamic mental health warriors offer free lessons about depression warning signs and how it’s ok to not feel ok. Their website offers lessons for grades 4–12 with K–3 lessons coming this fall. 
• Peer to peer - One of the best methods for preventing suicide is to have peers deliver the message and be trained to notice warning signs of depression. Serving as a peer role model provides purpose for students. Consider implementing a peer-led program in your school.
• Minute Meetings – Meet with every student for a minute or two. Ask questions like, “What superpower would you want to have?”, “Have you been bullied this year?” and “Do you have a trusted adult in the building?” Schedule follow-up meetings for any students who say no to the trusted adult question. Build the connection.
• Connect our LGBTQ+ and Black youth – These youth are at a higher risk of attempting suicide. This has nothing to do with who they are inherently but rather how they are treated and stigmatized in their environments. We need to ensure they feel safe and supported in schools. Talk to them. Provide safe spaces for them to connect.   

ASCA Resources

ASCA offers a framework and toolkit to help districts, schools and school counselors address suicidal behavior.

• Framework: Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention 
  This document from ASCA, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Association of School Psychologists and The Trevor Project, outlines essential model policies and best practices for school districts to protect the health and safety of all students.
• Toolkit: Information-Gathering Tool: Suicide Concern
  Also available in Spanish
  School counselors can use this use this tool to identify critical safety information through supportive, student‑centered conversations. The tool provides a holistic approach to student’s social/emotional well-being and comprehensive suicide-prevention policies and reinforces adherence to district protocols and encourages appropriate consultation and family involvement.

Prevention Works

It’s encouraging to share that prevention methods are working. PBS reported in April 2026 that “nearly 4,400 fewer U.S. teens and young adults died by suicide than projected in the first 2.5 years of the 988 mental health crisis hotline,” and “Suicide deaths among 15- to 23-year-olds were 11 percent lower than what researchers expected between July 2022 — when the lifeline launched — and December 2024.” Prevention works. Being proactive and engaging in upstream prevention helps students feel connected, seen and valued, decreasing their suicidal thoughts. 
 
It will never get easier to hear that students want to die. How we respond in those moments matters. More important is what we do prior to students getting to those low points. Through securing their anchors with connections to trusted adults, purpose and hope for each and every student is what will save lives. 
 
Angela Avery is a school counselor at Sanford Middle School in Maine and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern Maine. Contact her at angelarfavery@gmail.com.