Florida School Toolkit for K-12 Educators to Prevent Suicide

be used when a parent is excessively concerned about their child’s behavior and him or her being consumed by technology. In addition, there may be parents who are concerned about the negative influence other children are having on their own child. When concern increasingly rises, in addition to these applications, I would strongly recommend counseling for your child. The counseling department at your child’s school can certainly make referrals to the best providers in the area. 4. How do I find a good mental health practitioner specifically for tweens and teens? T here are many mental health practitioners that specialize in working with children and adolescents. My recommendation is to contact the counseling department at your child’s school because school counselors are very familiar with practitioners who specialize in working with upper elementary students and adolescents. 5. Are children who have a stay-at-home parent at a lower risk for suicide? C hildren who have a stay-at-home parent are very fortunate in many respects as there will be more opportunities for parent and child interactions and increased supervision. The research from the World Health Organization has not specifically emphasized having a stay-at-home parent as a protective factor, but instead stressed the following factors that prevent youth suicide: stable families, access to mental health treatment, lack of access to lethal weapons, positive self-esteem, good relations with other youth, and religious involvement. 6. Which social media sites are dangerous for teens? P arents need to visit the websites their children are accessing and make their own determination whether these sites are healthy or not. I believe the other important factor is to examine the overall well-being of your child. For example, I am often asked, “My child likes to visit this particular website as they are fascinated with media violence. Should I be concerned?” I’m going to ask a number of questions, and if I find out that the student in question is involved in at least one organized activity, they go somewhere with mom and dad once in a while, they do a good job taking care of the family pet, they apologize when they hurt someone’s feelings, and show empathy for other people, then I am going to relax, because, those are very healthy behaviors for a young person. However, if the young person visits violent and very unhealthy websites; they do not apologize nor show remorse; they are fascinated with violence, guns, and bombs; they tried to harm the family pet; and they are totally isolated from all adults, now I am very concerned. Those behaviors collectively and additively are extremely troubling signs for young people. The important point is not being overly concerned with a fascination with one subject or the frequent visiting of a social networking site that the parents don’t necessarily approve of. The most important thing is the overall adjustment of your child. And, if you are concerned and there are many red flags, please consider obtaining counseling for your child and increasing your supervision. And, yes, I would encourage “snooping” with regards to room, websites visited, journals, and diaries when you have a number of these concerning behaviors. 141