Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

School Counselors’ Vital Role In Suicide Intervention: A Response To Gallo And Wachter Morris, Carolyn Stone

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

School counselors have a critically important role in suicide intervention, one that provides the greatest chance to ensure student safety. In this response article, I clarify the intent of the American School Counselor Association magazine column, "Suicide Assessments: The Medical Profession Affirms School Counselors’ Truth," to underscore the critical role that school counselors play in suicide intervention. School districts are requiring school counselors to quantify suicide and make a judgment based on the student’s self-report. The intended message of the column was not to diminish school counselor training in suicide assessment and intervention, instead it was to provide school counselors …