At-Risk for Middle School Educators

The goal of At-Risk for Middle School Educators is to improve student wellness and school safety.

Learning objectives:

• Increase knowledge and awareness about pre-adolescent mental health and suicide
• Identify warning signs of psychological distress
• Increase knowledge and awareness about bullying and cyberbullying
• Build skills in leading conversations with students in distress, discuss concerns, build resilience, and increase connectedness
• Assess the need for referral, motivate a student to seek help, and make a warm hand-off to support
• Understand your school's specific support services and availability

The simulation has been accepted for review by SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). Studies show that it results in (1) statistically significant increases in mental health skills that remain significant at a 3-month follow-up point, and (2) statistically significant increases in the number of students that educators connect with, discuss concerns, and if necessary, refer to support.

A longitudinal study with over 17,000 teachers and staff found that:

• A 71% average increase in the number of students with whom participants approached to discuss concerns about
  psychological distress within the three months following the simulation
• 98% would rate the simulation as good, very good, or excellent
• 99% think that all educators in their school should take the simulation
• 97% said it was based on scenarios relevant to their work with students

Users receive customized feedback based on their in-simulation choices.

The simulation is available online 24/7. Users are asked to complete pre-, post-, and 3-month follow up surveys to assess changes in skills. Attitudes, and behavior. Upon completion, users receive a certificate of completion.  Clients have access to usage reports and evaluation data via the Kognito client portal.