Prevention, Mental Health, and Crisis Response
This domain tests prevention science, mental health screening and referral, and crisis roles - areas where confident but wrong answers are common.
The prevention continuum
Universal (PBIS expectations, SEL curricula), targeted (Check-In/Check-Out, small-group coping skills), intensive (individual intervention, wraparound, community referral). Universal screeners such as the BASC-3 BESS, SAEBRS, or SDQ use cut scores to flag risk; they are not diagnoses and require follow-up assessment.
Suicide risk
Ask directly about ideation, plan, intent, means, prior attempts, and protective factors. Notify guardians, restrict access to means, create a safety plan, document, and refer. No-suicide contracts are not evidence-based and should not be used. Confidentiality yields to imminent danger, suspected abuse, and legal mandate.
Threat assessment
Behavioral threat assessment is separate from suicide risk assessment: gather facts, weigh the communication's content, context, and target, check access to weapons, and use a team. Zero-tolerance automatic exclusion is not best practice.
Crisis response
The NASP PREPaRE model: prevent and prepare; reaffirm physical safety; evaluate psychological trauma; provide interventions; respond to psychological needs; examine effectiveness. Tier 1 crisis actions are psychological first aid, reunification, accurate information, and restored routine. Single-session psychological debriefing is not supported by research.
Worked example
A student tells a peer, "You'll all be sorry," and a note is found. This triggers threat assessment (intent, means, target, context), not automatically a suicide-risk protocol; run both if self-harm language also appears. Notify administration and parents per policy and document team decisions.
Traps
- Promising absolute confidentiality.
- Using debriefing as a default.
- Assuming any threat requires removal.