Teen Life Counts, a school-based suicide awareness and intervention program, was established by Jewish Family Service in 1984.  It is designed for use in upper schools and can be adapted for middle school use.  The impetus for the program came from the belief that youth suicide can be prevented through educational programs aimed at developing awareness of risk factors and resources for help.  This goal can be attained through the cooperative efforts of students, parents, teachers, principals, social workers, nurses, counselors, coaches, and general school staff.   

There are five components to Teen Life Counts:  
1. A classroom curriculum for upper and middle school students.  
2. In-depth training workshops for school professionals.  
3. Complete training workshops for volunteers.  
4. School-based educational workshops for parents and general school staff.  
5. Crisis intervention and postvention.                

Upon completion of this program, students will learn safe problem-solving skills, and each school will have at least two staff members trained as suicide resource persons.  All participants will learn how to identify warning signs of suicide, how to talk to someone in crisis, and where to go for help.    



OUR SUICIDE AWARENESS CURRICULUM IS AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, NOT A THERAPEUTIC PROGRAM.    

The goal of this program is to help students become sensitive to the fact that some people around them are at high risk for suicide and need help.  Further, the ultimate purpose is to mobilize students to get help for the person in need.  Since adolescents tend to confide in their peers, the program teaches teens to be a bridge to adults who can then get the professional help that is needed.   We recognize there are concerns about discussing suicide with adolescents.  We have found that this is a subject to which they have already been exposed.  Our goal is to give adolescents the opportunity to discuss their attitudes and concerns and to teach them safe problem-solving tools for dealing with suicidality.