MTSS for Suicide Prevention and Intervention: Considerations for School Counseling Preparation

Authors

Emily Goodman-Scott, Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Jennifer Betters-Bubon, University of Wisconsin-WhitewaterFollow
Rebecca Pianta, Santa Ana Unified School DistrictFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9243-708X

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7290/tsc0411k5

Abstract

Youth mental health concerns have reached crisis-level with the American Academy of Pediatrics (2021) reporting a 51% increase for reported suicide attempts for 12-17 year old youth. School counselors play a pivotal role within the conversation on mental health and suicide specifically (ASCA, 2016; ASCA, 2020). In this article we outline how school counselors can organize their suicide prevention and intervention efforts with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), grounded in a model by Dr. Rebecca Pianta, as well as prioritizing culturally sustaining, antiracist practices, data, prevention, and screening in all tiers. Specifically, at Tier 1, school counselors educate stakeholders, including students, on the warning signs. While at Tiers 2 and 3, school counselors identify and support students at risk of suicide. We highlight ethical considerations throughout, in the context of the article Suicide Intervention in Schools: If Not School Counselors, Then Who?

Recommended Citation

Goodman-Scott, Emily; Betters-Bubon, Jennifer; and Pianta, Rebecca (2022) "MTSS for Suicide Prevention and Intervention: Considerations for School Counseling Preparation," Teaching and Supervision in Counseling: Vol. 4 : Iss. 2 , Article 10.
https://doi.org/10.7290/tsc0411k5
Available at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/tsc/vol4/iss2/10