The SOS High School program is appropriate for schools, grades 9-12, whereas the SOS Middle School program is designed for grades 5-8. The SOS Booster program is for high school students only, as it is designed for students preparing for graduation. The Booster program serves as a “refresher” course for students, namely juniors and seniors, preparing for life beyond high school.
The SOS kit is designed to provide the tools needed to implement the program successfully utilizing existing school staff. The kit includes a procedure manual with best practice guidelines and a training video, so no formal training is necessary. The SOS High School program also includes a training DVD for staff.
The time it takes to implement the SOS program varies depending upon a number of factors, such as whether a parent night is planned as part of your program, if community-based providers will be invited to help implement SOS, if parental permission will be obtained, if in-service training will be provided for school staff, if permission slips are to be sent home to parents, etc. Allow at least two weeks to familiarize yourself with the materials, to orient your team, and to plan the details of implementing the program.
The number of individuals needed to implement the program can vary. Factors that can influence the number of staff needed are dependent upon the number of students participating in the program, whether you plan to offer a parent night event, level of staff training, community organization involvement, and the structure you choose to implement the program. The number of individuals involved can range from one person to an entire team of individuals depending upon the format you choose to use.
It will take roughly an hour to implement the key components of the program. There are additional lesson plans that schools may elect to use that will increase implementation time and can be spread over multiple class periods.
Yes. Any professional organization that serves youth can purchase and implement the SOS program. Non-school organizations that have used the SOS program include mental health organizations, residential programs, hospitals, youth social clubs (i.e. Big Brothers, Big Sisters), religious education groups, and juvenile justice providers. However, at least one person on the implementation team should be a licensed mental health provider familiar with mental health concerns among youth and handling crises.
While we highly recommend using both the screening tool and the educational video components, schools are not required to use the screening tool. The 40% reduction in suicide attempts in the randomized controlled study is a result of schools using both the screening and education components.
While we have data regarding the increased risk for suicide attempts and ideation among this population, we address this issue of increased risk (for attempts and ideation) in the high school video by having one of the video vignettes discuss a breakup with "Chris," a gender neutral name. “Chris” is purposely used to provide those implementing the program with a format in which they can facilitate a discussion about this topic, using questions included in the video discussion guide, should they wish to do so.
Yes. A PowerPoint presentation is available upon request for anyone who wishes to present the details of the SOS program. Please call the SOS office if you would like to receive a copy of the PowerPoint.
The SOS kit includes all the necessary materials for 300 youth, parents, and school staff (grades 9-12).
- Implementation Guide: Step-by-step instructions including training materials, educational resources, lesson plans, and templates (English and Spanish)
- Educational DVD and Discussion Guide: The Friends for Life: Preventing Teen Suicide DVD describes the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide and how to intervene
- Training DVD for staff
- Brief Screen for Adolescent Depression (BSAD): A seven question screening tool for depression (parent and student versions)
- High School Student Newsletter: Helpful articles, facts, tips, and resources
- Additional Resources: Wallet cards, posters, and postvention guidelines
- Implementation Guide: Step-by step instructions, with a focus on maintaining mental health after the transition from high school to college or the work place
- New Educational DVD & Discussion Guide: Helps prepare seniors for mental health situations that may arise after graduation
- Brief Screen for Adolescent Depression (BSAD): A seven question screening tool for depression (student version)
- Parent Resources: Strategies to help parents communicate with their kids about mental health issues that may arise after high school
- Additional Materials: Educational handouts for students and parents
The SOS kit includes all the necessary materials for 300 youth, parents, and school staff (grades 5-8).
- Implementation Guide: Step-by-step instructions including training materials, educational resources, lesson plans, screening tool, and templates (English and Spanish)
- Educational DVD and Discussion Guide: The SOS: Get into the ACT! DVD describes the signs and symptoms of depression, suicide, and self-injury and how to intervene
- Parent and Student Newsletters: New articles this year!
- Self-injury Packet: Educational materials for parents and staff
- Additional Resources: Wallet cards, posters, stickers with the ACT message, and postvention guidelines
The DVD, Friends for Life: Preventing Teen Suicide, serves as the main teaching tool of the SOS program. Through the use of dramatizations and interviews, students are taught to ACT (Acknowledge – Care- Tell).
ACT: Acknowledge, Care, Tell
- Acknowledge that you are seeing the signs of depression or suicide in a friend and that it is serious.
- Care — Let your friend know that you care about him or her, and that you are concerned that he or she needs help you cannot provide.
- Tell a trusted adult, either with your friend or on his or her behalf.
There are two parts to the video. Part one includes dramatizations depicting teens that are depressed and may be contemplating suicide and the words and actions others might use to help. Each vignette includes a friend who acknowledges the signs of depression in their friend, and is trying to get them help. The first scene shows the “wrong” way (i.e. trying to talk them out of it, telling them to “snap out of it,” being sworn to secrecy, etc.), and the second scene shows the “correct” way (i.e. telling them that they are concerned and that they need to speak with a trusted adult to get help).
The second part of the video, features compelling personal stories of real teenagers who contemplated or attempted suicide, but who are now in treatment for depression and doing well. It also features interviews with friends, family members of suicidal teens, and school-based counselors explaining how to respond to suicidal or depressed student or to a student’s friend.
The SOS Get Into the ACT DVD is the main teaching tool of the SOS Middle School program. The aim of the video is to create a supportive and responsive atmosphere for youth who may be at risk for depression, suicide, or self-injury by empowering them to recognize the warning signs and to seek help. The video is approximately 17 minutes in length and is accompanied by a Discussion Guide that includes topics for classroom discussion led by a school health professional or counselor. The video features vignettes or dramatizations that show adolescents who are depressed and the words and actions of others might use to help-first the wrong way (i.e., getting angry, not taking the person seriously, or blaming them, etc.) and then the correct way (i.e., telling them that they are concerned and that they need to speak with a trusted adult). Also featured in the video are five middle school students discussing topics including depression, suicide, bullying, self injury, and getting help. Lastly, there is a student/counselor dyad in which the counselor answers questions raised by one of the students from the group.
Brief Screen for Adolescent Depression (BSAD) is a brief seven-question screening assessment tool for depression that is included in the SOS High School kit. There are parent and student versions with scoring instructions for each version.
The parent version is an optional tool that schools can distribute to parents of students participating in the SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention program. It engages parents to be partners in prevention by assessing their son or daughter for possible suicide/depression risk factors.
PLEASE NOTE: Results from the BSAD are not diagnostic, but merely indicate the presence, or absence, of symptoms that are consistent or inconsistent with depression or suicide. Negative responses to the questionnaire do not rule out depression/suicidality and positive responses do not conclusively establish depression/suicidality. A thorough diagnostic evaluation by a healthcare professional is always necessary to determine whether or not there is the presence/absence of depression/suicidality. Parents should be contacted immediately by phone if a student is deemed at-risk for suicide
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