Understanding School Mental Health Supports for Adolescents with Suicide Risk during COVID-19

Mental health care for adolescents at-risk to suicide is often provided in school settings and school professionals play a role in suicide prevention by fostering a sense of connectedness to schools. The practice of social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19 has disrupted these school-based mental health services and left adolescents with few opportunities to connect with peers or adults outside their home making them vulnerable to suicide. Despite these challenges, this time period affords an opportunity to learn how to mitigate the impacts of this disruption, providing insights that extend to school closure related to inclement weather, natural disasters, and extended leaves due to mental health crises (e.g., hospitalization) faced by adolescents with suicidal urges. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of parents and adolescents with suicidal behaviors receiving school-based mental health services and supports during COVID-19. This study aims to provide