New practitioner suicide prevention resources

Three free suicide-prevention resources for practitioners surfaced this week, aimed at school staff, trainers, and clinicians who need tools they can use now. (suicideinschools.com) (stormskillstraining.com) (johnsommersflanagan.com) One is *Suicide in Schools*, a practitioner guide by Terri Erbacher, Jonathan Singer, and Scott Poland that lays out prevention, assessment, intervention, and postvention for school settings. The book’s site says the second edition adds material on COVID-19, technology, self-care, legal cases, and updated culturally relevant risk assessment and monitoring. (suicideinschools.com) (taylorfrancis.com) Another is a free STORM Skills tip sheet on language for talking about suicide and self-harm. The document tells staff to use person-centered, direct, non-judgmental language and to avoid phrasing that treats suicide as a crime or reduces self-harm to a “cry for help.” (stormskillstraining.com) A third is a free two-hour online training, “Strengths-Based Suicide Assessment and Treatment,” scheduled for Thursday, April 30, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon Eastern. John Sommers-Flanagan said the workshop is being offered with support from the Maryland Department of Health and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and a related listing says it carries 2 continuing education credits. (johnsommersflanagan.com) (aamentalhealth.org) The common thread is practical guidance for adults who may be the first people asked to respond. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention says schools need regular staff training and clear prevention, intervention, and postvention policies because teachers and other school personnel are often in position to spot warning signs and make referrals. (afsp.org) That school focus matches broader guidance from pediatric and school-health groups. The American Academy of Pediatrics says suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 24 and notes that students often disclose suicidal feelings to trusted adults at school. (aap.org) The language piece also reflects a wider shift in practice. STORM’s guidance and the American Academy of Pediatrics both urge trauma-informed, non-stigmatizing wording, including moving away from phrases like “committed suicide.” (stormskillstraining.com) (aap.org) The assessment piece reflects another change: less faith in simple risk labels, more emphasis on collaborative safety planning. STORM says current guidance recommends against using risk scales or “low/medium/high” stratification to predict suicide or self-harm repetition or to decide treatment or discharge. (stormskillstraining.com) School systems already have other free frameworks to pair with these materials, including *After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools* and a model district suicide-prevention policy backed by school counselor, school psychologist, and suicide-prevention groups. Those tools focus on the same operational questions: who responds, what staff say, how students are referred, and how schools handle the aftermath of a suicide. (sprc.org) (nasponline.org) Taken together, the new materials give practitioners three different entry points: a school playbook, a language guide, and a continuing-education workshop. All three are framed as free, immediately usable support for staff who may have to navigate suicide risk conversations in schools or clinical care. (suicideinschools.com) (stormskillstraining.com) (johnsommersflanagan.com)