•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Suicide is the third leading cause of adolescent death in the United States. This alarming statistic has been widely studied and debated for years. It has become a consensus that because adolescents spend more than a third of their time in school, suicide intervention strategies must be put into place school-wide. There has also been “heightened awareness of the need for effective crisis intervention in public schools” (Allen et al., 2002, p. 96) nationwide. Kennedy (1999) feels that teaching students about violence and prevention is just as important as teaching them to read and write. More of the responsibility for adolescent suicide prevention is being given to school counselors. There is also a greater need for school counselors to be able to recognize the warning signs and plan effective prevention strategies.

Author's Biographies

Naomi M. Hitchcock is currently a substitute teacher for the Muscogee County School District and a student in the M. Ed. School Counseling program at Columbus State University (serving her internship at East Columbus Magnet Academy). She worked for the Department of Family and Children Services prior to her graduate work at Columbus State University.

Leigh King Lovelette is also a student in the M. Ed. School Counseling program at Columbus State University. She completed her practicum at Rigdon Road Elementary, Muscogee County School District and is currently serving as an intern at Dexter Elementary, Fort Benning School System.

This is an original work

1

This work has not been previously published

1

IRB approval verification

N/A

Download

Share

COinS