Last week, Hampton-Dumont High School staff participated in a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) mental health training aimed at giving teachers, counselors and administrators resources to identify and support people in crisis.
The session, led by Ryan Nesbit, co-founder of Alive and Running, focused on suicide awareness and prevention and included strategies for approaching difficult conversations with students, colleagues and community members.
Hampton-Dumont High School Principal Matt Trosky tells RadioOnTheGo News mental health is a priority for everyone in the school community.
“Our staff has really taken a hold of opportunities to have more tools in the toolbox. We were fortunate enough to have Ryan come in the fall and speak to our students and really was inspirational to our kids. Some of our staff members were able to witness him speak during that time too. And so we brought Ryan back to have a training. It’s again, a tool for teachers who are witnessing changes, who are trying to understand students, understand adults. We all go through it. Suicide awareness, suicide prevention, the conversation, it’s not biased. It’s for everybody. And so our teachers, are seeking ways to continue to be observant and tools that they can use to have conversations with kids and to be able to get them to the right services.”
Trosky says the training builds on previous mental health initiatives, including Safe Talk sessions, peer-to-peer Hope Squad programs, and mental health awareness events. The school is also exploring on-site counseling options to provide support for students and families. Trosky says mental health conversations are vital for all students, and particularly for those in high school
“It’s really about awareness. These conversations aren’t easy to have. They’re not always, you know, person A is not like person B all the way through person Z. But the idea is to create awareness and infiltrate schools in a positive way by making people have some comfort with these difficult conversations so we can make sure we try to keep our students and people safe.”
Nesbit will return January 21st to work with office staff and paraeducators, completing QPR training for the entire building. Trosky adds that the school will host a Kicking the Stigma event during a soccer match with Charles City in April. More information on that event will be released at a future date.
Full interview below
