Suicide Prevention and Intervention in Eugene 4J

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis or is thinking about taking their own life, please see the resource list below or call 911.

For community resources including health and social services, go to https://www.211info.org/ or dial 211.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth and young adults ages 10-24 in Oregon.

Mental health professionals, including school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists and school nurses in the Eugene 4J School District have received specific training on procedures for intervening to help prevent suicides.  All school staff have received training on the risk factors for youth suicide and how to refer for additional help when a student may be having thoughts of suicide.

The information on this site should not be viewed as mental health advise.  Please contact your school administrator or mental health professional for additional support and expertise.

Suicide Prevention

Youth suicide prevention and mental health promotion requires a comprehensive approach to social and emotional wellness.  Students, staff and community members need to be informed about mental health, social and emotional learning (SEL), behavioral risks, and be provided skills to universally promote wellness.  Prevention activities include the intentional steps the district and schools take to provide positive mental health messaging, address the needs of higher risk populations, provide staff and student training to reduce risk, and talk about suicide in a safe, healthy and trauma informed manner.

Suicide Intervention

Intervention efforts begin with any individuals interacting with students, including staff, parents, peers and community members.  Universal gatekeeper training for all and rapid intervention protocols for mental health professionals can assist students who may be in a crisis involving suicidal thoughts or behaviors.  Intervention activities include the intentional steps that school staff take in the event of a student mental health crisis. Examples include suicide risk screening, contact protocols, engaging available resources, parental involvement, safety planning, re-entry planning, and potentially emergency services.

Suicide Postvention

Postvention means any compassionate, honest and effective “post-intervention” activities conducted after a suicide that impacts the school community.  Postvention seeks to reduce the risk of imitations or “contagion”, supports the needs of those bereaved by a suicide, provides safe messaging to students, families, and the community, and promotes the mental health of the entire school community.  Appropriate postvention activities serve as a way to enhance future prevention efforts and save lives.  Postvention includes procedures and practices addressing immediate, intermediate and long term response planning.   Postvention also involves active crisis response strategies that strive to treat the loss in similar ways to that of other sudden deaths within the school community and to return the school environment to its normal routine as soon as possible. It includes addressing communication with staff, students, outside providers and families, identifying other potentially at-risk students, and other difficult issues such as memorialization

Preventing Suicide – Resources

For crises intervention or a follow-up screening/evaluation:

Additional Lane County Emergency Services Provider List