|
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 By Armand Hayes
Advertising
Crisis counselors Sue Caimi,
Anetra Chapman and Alysia Harris and social studies teacher Debbie
Jackson have established the Talk About It program at Pattonville High
School.
“Talk About It is a group effort that benefits students and
teachers,” Jackson said. “Teachers get to know students more and get
closer to them, making it more comfortable to talk to them.”
Jackson said, “The big question that the teachers need to know is if the student is thinking about killing themselves.”
Staff who are involved in Talk About It wear red shirts on Tuesdays
with contact information of suicide prevention groups and organizations
on the back.
The program consists of 108 volunteer teachers and staff who have
all received training in how to handle suicide, bullying and depression.
According to Caimi, the point of the program is to raise suicide awareness within teenagers.
Originating from Jackson’s former school, Riverview Gardens, the
program came about from one of her former students attempting to commit
suicide.
Wanting to help end the mental suffering of her student, she talked to him whenever he felt angry about anything.
“The student actually came back and told me that talking to me helped him a lot,” Jackson said.
Depression hits teenagers hard and is very difficult to cope with
alone. Having the chance to talk to a teacher can make the fact of
exploiting personal business to someone slightly easier.
The program has been helpful for some students by giving them an
opportunity to discuss personal matters with teachers about problems or
issues that are disturbing them in complete confidentiality.
But some students believe teachers don’t know enough to actually understand or know what to do.
According to Principal Dr. Sara Keene, depending on the situation,
it is the teacher’s job to call and report the information to the police
department.
Situations that hurt the child physically like slashing their wrist
or their parents treating them horribly would be told to authorities,
but any of the information that has to go to the police is strictly
confidential.
Whether it’s hereditary or a low point in a person’s life, depression can be a dark pit that can lead to loneliness and suicide.
“Having the feeling to know that what I said can change a person’s mind is a feeling that I can’t explain,” Jackson said. v
|