While language of mandated-reporter statutes across the country varies by state, the essence is consistent. As a mandated reporter, a school counselor must make a report if there is suspicion of abuse, neglect, self-harm, or harm to others. One significant difference is to whom the school counselor reports suspicion of abuse, neglect, or harm.

It is vital that school counselors in training understand their state laws. Identifying the issue and directing the family to resources are only the first part of the response. Eventually, a student will return to school, and a school counselor plays a vital role in that process. The effects of a crisis, disaster, or trauma can have particular long-term implications for diverse students; therefore, school counselors must be mindful of multicultural considerations in their responses to risk assessment.

Assignment Directions

Based on the weekly readings, the two media resources, and the laws of your state (New York, New York), explain your understanding of suicide risk assessment, trauma identification, and awareness of the signs and symptoms of substance abuse as well as indications of exposure to others’ substance abuse at home.

• Identify the assessment strategies used in the video and discuss what additional questions should be asked in a risk assessment for suicide, trauma, or for signs of living in a home where substance abuse occurs.
• Identify the level of risk you assigned to Jana, your thoughts on the feedback presented in the media resource Suicide Risk Assessment Response, and the action you would take based on your state law.

Next, examine intervention strategies for connecting a family to community resources, reintegrating a student to school, and collaborating with key stakeholders to ensure a successful transition. Assume the role of the school counselor in this scenario and complete the following:

• Outline specific strategies to promote the family’s understanding of and access to community resources.
• Discuss strategies to help Jana integrate back into school when she returns from treatment.
• Discuss how to collaborate with specific stakeholders in the school who can facilitate a successful transition.

Knowing that crisis or trauma can have specific, lasting implications for diverse people, it is important to consider the aforementioned steps from a multicultural perspective. For the next part, choose an ethnicity other than your own and different from the one presented in the video. Then, examine risk assessment from a multicultural perspective, addressing potential long-term effects, identifying potential barriers, and recommending strategies for overcoming them.

• Describe in detail how this assessment would differ when assessing the level of risk of a student of color. Be specific in the questions you would ask and the evaluation of the risk level.
• Explain how you would work with the family. What challenges or barriers do you anticipate and how would you overcome them?
• Examine what specific concerns a school counselor should address regarding the long-term effects of the crisis on someone with this ethnic background.

Use your Sandoval text, Crisis Counseling, Intervention and Prevention in the Schools, to read:

Chapter 14, “Suicide,” pages 242–259.

Chapter 19, “Nonsuicidal Self-Injury,” pages 362–376.

Use your Jackson-Cherry and Erford text, Crisis Assessment, Intervention, and Prevention, to read:

Chapter 5, “Loss, Grief, and Bereavement,” pages 133–147.

Chapter 6, “Risk Assessment and Intervention: Suicide and Homicide,” pages 149–187.

Use the Internet to complete the following:

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention/Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (n.d.). After a suicide: A toolkit for schools [PDF]Links to an external site.. https://www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/migrate/l…

Find an ADA-compliant PDF here Download here.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (n.d.). About suicideLinks to an external site.. https://afsp.org/about-suicide/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (n.d.). Suicide statisticsLinks to an external site.. https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (n.d.). Risk factors and warning signsLinks to an external site.. https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-a…

Multimedia

View the Suicide Risk Assessment video in preparation for this week’s related assignment. As you watch, note the assessment questions asked by the counselor.

Complete the Suicide Risk Assessment Response to assess the risk level of a suicidal student and outline a plan as to what happens next. Note: If you have not watched the risk assessment video, complete it first.