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Module 11: Suicide & Self-Harm Response

Emergency response procedures vary by school district. This information represents key considerations that are critical to review prior to a behavioral health emergency.

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  • Policies & Procedures

    At the Annual SchooLink Meeting, school staff shares a copy of the school’s suicide/self-harm policies and procedures with the behavioral health provider. Discuss and clarify any items that are unclear.

  • Roles & Responsibilities

    Schools have a legal duty to supervise their students and ensure they are in a safe, secure and peaceful environment. Behavioral health providers are guests on a school campus who provide students an important service. Providers need to report any concerns and/or information about a crisis situation to school staff immediately. While both teams should work together to help a student in crisis, school staff are ultimately responsible for the student’s safety and therefore must lead the response.

  • Provider Response

    If a provider is on-campus and learns a student is verbalizing suicidal ideation, or engaging in self-harm, the provider should immediately ensure the student’s safety and then inform the Principal or their designee about the situation. The provider may offer support to the student and school staff during a crisis, as requested by the principal or designee.

  • School Response

    The school is legally responsible for the students’ safety on their campus, so the principal or their designee is responsible for leading the response to a suicide or self-harm situation and completing the school’s emergency procedures.

Emergency and Crisis Support Resources

Student sitting down with face in hands

SchooLink offers limited crisis response services. In some situations, students may experience a mental health crisis while at school or in the community that requires immediate support. These students may or may not be current Behavioral Health Services clients. To address these urgent needs, schools and communities have access to external crisis response resources, including the Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) and Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT). To learn more about these supports and how to access them, please visit Module 12: Psychiatric Crisis Response Teams. Module 13 reviews School threats and violence responses.

911/Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT)

Request an ambulance or other emergency assistance such as PERT who are specially trained officers paired with licensed mental health professionals. Together, they respond on scene to situations involving people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT)

The MCRT Program is a countywide service that offers an alternative to law enforcement response option for people of any age experiencing a mental health or substance use related crisis. MCRTs respond, assess, and de-escalate behavioral health crises in the community and on school campuses.

Children & Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit (CYCSU)

(Formerly known as Emergency Screening Unit or ESU)

The CYCSU provides emergency psychiatric services for children and youth under the age of 18 who are Medi-Cal members and experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

San Diego: 4309 Third Avenue San Diego, CA 92103 | (619) 876-4502 

Key Point

School staff are responsible for leading the response to any threat or action of suicide or self-harm.

Suicide Prevention Resources

Key resource: Suicide Prevention – San Diego County Office of Education

Resources

View Key Terms and Definitions

Next Module

MCRT Van

Module 12: Psychiatric Crisis Response Teams

For administrative information or to provide feedback about the SchooLink training program, please email BHSContactUs.HHSA@sdcounty.ca.gov with subject line: SchooLink.