Clinician Commentary on Addressing Suicidality Safety Risk in Students Through a Hospital-School-Community Telepartnership Program

Comments on the article by Shaidullah, et al. (see record 2024-13778-001). Shahidullah and team describe the utilization of the hospital-school-community telepartnership (HSCT), a telehealth program aimed to increase rapid crisis response and interagency care coordination for students with suicidality safety risk. The HSCT team followed both crisis mental health (SAFE-T) and telebehavioral health best practices, with a licensed teleclinician conducting virtual crisis evaluation at the student's school, often on the same day. The HSCT maximized telebehavioral health by simultaneously supporting and consulting with school staff who often serve as de facto crisis mental health with little training or supported time. This collegial cross-system approach resonates with the current author team's experience of the importance of training, including opportunities to validate the supports that school personnel have provided as well as problem solving together to support students in crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).