• You can also download a printable version of the September 2021 newsletter.

    Social-Emotional Wellness September 2021 (Accessible Version)

    Created by: HEB ISD Crisis Intervention & Prevention Team

     

    The Crisis Intervention & Prevention Team addresses mental health concerns, prevents suicide and self-harm, and creates a positive school environment for all students. You can submit a referral to our team with this link: Parent Referral to Crisis Team (Google Form)

    National Suicide Prevention Month --  Learn more about how you can be part of the dialogue to help prevent suicide: Promote National Suicide Prevention Month (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website)

     

    Go Guardian Beacon

    The HEB ISD Crisis Intervention and Prevention Team wants to make parents aware that some of our students’ online activity is monitored to ensure the safety of your children and others. Our software, Go Guardian Beacon, sends alerts to our team when students are researching and/or having conversations about things of concern such as suicidal ideation, harm to others, bullying, fighting, threats and the like. The Crisis Team (of three mental health professionals) monitors those alerts during work hours and brings concerning activities to the attention of campus counselors, parents, or administration, depending on the level of concern.

    We recommend that you continue to be diligent in monitoring what your children search for, and engage in, online. We will continue to notify you, on an as needed basis, of posts that we deem to be concerning.

     

    Suicide Warning Signs

    • "Leakage"
      • Talking about wanting to die
      • Alluding that they may not be around anymore.
      • Talking about death or suicide in general
    • Planning
      • Giving away possessions to people.
      • Suddenly, without reason, happy or "better"
    • Performance
      • Decline in socialization
      • Decline in academics
      • Decline in extracurricular activities
      • Unable to concentrate
    • Mental Health
      • Avoidance of treatment
      • Sudden "recovery"
      • Unhealthy interest in death or somber music, poems or literature
    • Behavior
      • Increased risk taking
      • Unusual money spending
      • Use or increased use of alcohol or drugs
      • Lack of interest in future plans
    • Social media
      • Change in content they post or view
      • Saying "goodbye" in various forms
      • Researching alarming content regarding deaths, pain, etc.
    • Mood
      • No sense of purpose
      • Sudden mood changes
      • Hopelessness, helplessness, desperate
      • Anger
      • Flat affect or very "matter of fact"

    **although we believe suicide can be prevented; we are NOT superhuman and cannot predict every outcome**

     

    Get Help Now

    If you're facing challenges that are too hard to deal with alone, please know there are people who can help. You can use the following resources to get help.

     

    How to Help Someone Who May Have Suicidal Thoughts

    Suicide can be a daunting subject matter to talk about. Here are some things you can do if you believe someone you know is thinking about harming themselves. ASK the person directly if they have suicidal thoughts. This will NOT "plant a seed" of suicide but will allow that person to see your willingness to help. LISTEN to them without judgment and never promise secrecy. STAY with the person and do not leave them unattended until you figure out a plan of action. If you suspect that they could harm themselves, take them seriously and SECURE any items they would use to harm themselves. If you believe that this person is at risk of harming themselves you may CALL the national suicide hotline and/or VISIT a local hospital for an Emergency Mental Health Risk Assessment. If the danger is imminent please call 911 and describe the emergency as many police departments have trained mental health officers that can assist.

    Learn more about children and adolescent mental health & suicide prevention: HEB ISD Mental Health Presentation (in Canva)

    A Safety Plan is good to have as an additional measure of support for someone who is struggling with suicidal thoughts. Having a plan in place helps in moments when strong emotions are too overwhelming. You can click the template to the left and create one for yourself or share with someone you know needs help. Having a printed hard copy is highly recommended: My Safety Plan (in Canva)

     

    Defining Different Levels of Care for Mental Health Needs

    Addressing mental health needs can range from someone practicing self-care and/or boundary setting in their life as they work on processing stressors in their life to someone needing to be hospitalized in order for their mental health to be stabilized. The following are the most common levels of care you may encounter when looking to address mental health concerns:

    • Outpatient - Typically, once a week to monthly, 50-75 minute sessions with a mental health professional to address mental health concerns. Ex: Talk therapy, play therapy, CBT, Family Therapy etc.
    • Intensive Outpatient - Treatment service that is used to address mental health diagnoses that typically entails individual therapy, family therapy and group therapy several times a week over a period of several weeks.
    • Partial Hospitalization - Type of program used to treat mental health diagnoses where the patient continues to reside at home, but commutes to a treatment center up to seven days a week.
    • Inpatient Hospitalization - This setting involves an overnight or longer stay in a psychiatric hospital or psychiatric unit of a general hospital. The facility can be privately owned or public (government-operated).

    You can find more information AND agencies that provide the above levels of care on the Crisis Intervention & Prevention website.

     

     

    Emergency Mental Health Assessments

    If your child is suicidal an evaluation to assess level of risk can be done at the following locations: