Watch this video to learn about Jeff’s unique message:
Suicide Prevention Training Expert Jeff Yalden
Nobody has more experience with teen suicides than Jeff Yalden. Schools and communities throughout North America continue to look to Jeff Yalden to restore hope, answer questions, and give teens permission to grieve through the process of losing a friend and a classmate. Jeff’s youth suicide prevention program has helped over 4000 different schools and brought hope to many of teens and families. Jeff doesn’t use any religious tone or spirituality in his message and time in your community. He opens his heart and says what needs to be said, but the administration can’t say. Being sensitive, but at the same time Jeff walks the hearts of his audience from pain and frustration to grieving and acceptance. He is known to spend hours upon hours in friends and families kitchens helping teens and families understand Teen Suicide today. These days it is simply common sense to have suicide prevention in schools.
Suicide Prevention Programs In Schools – A Crucial Need
Not all suicide prevention programs are created equal. Jeff is one of the most in demand teen/youth motivational speakers in the world. For 23 years he’s delivered his message, “About Life” in over 4,000 high schools and middle schools. He’s spoken at literally hundreds of state leadership conferences for students and staff members. He’s a favorite for his powerful stories leaving the audience reflecting, embracing, and ultimately cheering each other on. Jeff loves his work with teens, families, and educators. His passion stems from his youth and he’s taken his expertise a step further now. He’s now training teachers, staff members communities, and military personnel on how to identify, question, persuade, and refer a person in pain or possibly suicidal to get help.
Why Jeff for your School Suicide Prevention Training?
Experience from the depths of despair to renewed sense of being and purpose. Jeff works with school communities – parents, adults, and teens on mental health and depression everyday. Everyday, Jeff is on the phone with a community, a parent, or a teen dealing with loss, thoughts of suicide, or family turmoil. This is what he does and when he isn’t doing this, Jeff is speaking and mesmerizing some high school audience or middle school audience with his life’s experiences and wisdom. This is what Jeff does. It’s not just a job to him. This is his life’s purpose and the meaning to his existence.
Think about this . . .
- One community losses 9 teens to suicide in less than one year, including 4 teens in 6 weeks. Who did they turn to? They reached out to Teen Suicide Expert, Jeff Yalden and within days, Jeff was there to restore hope to a community lost in its search for meaning and understanding. Two high schools and one big parent/community program where 1500 people came out, including six families that have lost a child. This evening was incredible. The following night, Jeff even stayed and joined the student cheering section for a home basketball game.
- Another community, loses a high school student to suicide and that very evening, the father commits suicide. Less than a month later, a middle school student and a father were killed in an automobile accident. A month after, the School Treasurer committed suicide, within 35 minutes of being caught mishandling school funds. When the dust starts to settle, there is a high school drug overdose. Taking the life of another student. September of 2015, an 8th grader takes his life. Then in November 2015, just before Thanksgiving break, a high school student commits suicide.
What do these communities have in common? They both hired Teen Suicide Prevention Expert – Jeff Yalden. In two days, Jeff came and restored hope to a community searching for meaning and understanding. Jeff shared his heart with the staff, students, and community members including parents. He shared his theory on today’s teens and depression, anxiety, and expectations. He talked about the pressures of today’s youth – being on 24/7 and always connected. He shared everything from signs to look out for to how to deal with a teen in crisis. He is not a textbook guy. The reality, sometimes it’s just another outside voice that can say things a little differently than community members, Pastors, Principals, Superintendents, Coaches, and Teachers. Jeff is used to being the one that has to say what needs to be said. It’s an outside voice with great experience that can open his heart and move the energy in a new direction, whereas, you might be chastised for being insensitive. Jeff has a way with words and a presence that is impactful. What would you rather have? You’d rather have the person that connects and makes a difference, rather than the person that can share statistics and textbook definitions written well before today’s generation was so actively involved in social media technology. This is what Jeff does – Loving People To Life! So, for your next Suicide Prevention Training Speaker or Teen Suicide Prevention – Crisis Intervention consider the one person with more experience than anyone. Teen and Parent Communicator, Jeff Yalden will bring the students and staff members back to normalcy. You will be glad you did!
Check out Jeff’s Suicide Prevention Videos on YouTube.
Staff members and leaders need to know how they can prevent a teen suicide from happening within their schools, their communities, and to the people they work with. That is why suicide prevention programs in schools are so important. Whether our Men and Women in our Armed Forces or the students in our buildings, Jeff Yalden is an teen suicide prevention expert, and a Certified Suicide Prevention Intervention Crisis Counselor with 23 years experience working with teens and adults.
Your Staff Professionals will Learn:
- Understanding Suicide
- Warning Signs
- Examples of Direct Verbal Warning Signs
- Examples of Indirect or Coded Verbal Clues
- Examples of Behavioral Warning Signs or Clues
- Situational Clues
- A Reminder about Depression and its link to Suicide
- How to Approach a Potential Suicidal Student
- How to handle a Student who Refuses Help
- How to Set up A Crisis Plan
- Planting Seeds of Hope to the Student and the Families
“It begins with knowing what to do and having the courage to intervene and act immediately.” – Jeff Yalden
After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools
No administrative certificate, PhD, or Masters Degree will every prepare you for what to do when a suicide rocks your school community. This is about experience, patience, and doing the right thing for everyone including – family, students, staff, community, friends, teams, and the subject in this case. Proceed carefully and remember, “It will be ok!”
Now it is time to move forward from the loss, but how do we do it? Often times, Jeff has been asked to give an upbeat school wide assembly addressing the students and talking about life and bringing school spirit and morale back. Jeff can speak from the heart in a way that one of the everyday staff members or administrators can’t. Sometimes it’s just a matter of being from the outside that makes all the difference in the world. Give Jeff a call and let’s talk about having Jeff bring you through this last part where we can get back to normal and move forward. Think about inviting Jeff for the students and spending time training your staff personnel in an in-service program on how to identify, question, persuade, and refer the subject to get the professional help they need. Also, contact Jeff for your questions on how to handle this crisis. Questions such as, “What do we do now?” and “How do we handle this?” and many more questions are answered in the After a Suicide: Toolkit for Schools that Jeff will gladly send to you for your guide. Questions? Contact Jeff today for a Training in your School with teachers, staff, or administrators. Why Jeff . . .
You might wonder why Jeff is so passionate about Teen Suicide and Suicide Prevention, huh?
Jeff Touches Hearts . . . Changes Lives!
New Laws:
Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, the State Board/Department of Education shall adopt rules to require that all public school personnel receive at least 2 hours of suicide awareness and prevention training each year. This training shall be provided within the framework of existing in-service training programs offered by the State Board/Department of Education or as part of required professional development activities. Teen suicide is no laughing matter, if you have had a friend or family member with a mental health condition you understand this at the deepest level. There is a large risk factor for any young person, and even young people in general to display suicidal Behavior. In society, prevention by School staff, a school district, in the Parent-Teacher connection must be strong. We are dedicated to raise awareness of how to notice a warning sign, to get help for a suicidal threat, no school should go without proper suicide prevention training.
Contact Jeff Today:
Staff In-Service Training
- New Teacher Orientations
- CPU Credits
- Working with your Staff Department Heads
- Working with your Community Members
- Working with your Counselors
- Training and Educating Parents & Volunteers
- Training Coaching Staff
Training PTO, PTSA, Boosters, Community Leaders
“In the next decade we will see a 31% increase in teen suicides, drug addiction, and alcohol abuse.”
Learn more about suicide at Wikipedia.