This paper in School Mental Health is the first work publishing outcomes of the purely virtual iteration of PC CARES learning circles, delivered to school staff during the Covid pandemic (2020-2022).
For context, Alaska Native/American Indian (AN/AI) populations have the highest rates of suicide, especially among youth. In school settings, AN/AI youth are “invisible” when it comes to mental health, yet “hyper-visible” regarding school disciplinary actions. Because of this, school staff can play a crucial role in helping students feel supported and cared for. PC CARES offers schools an “upstream” suicide intervention–implemented before someone poses a lethal risk to themselves. Upstream suicide interventions are implemented before someone poses a lethal risk to themselves, this can be particularly useful at reducing suicide risk in AN communities, which already have cultural and familial strengths.
In the past, PC CARES learning circles were facilitated locally in AN/AI communities. Due to Covid restrictions on gatherings in-person, the intervention was conducted online over Zoom from 2020-2022 (read more here). School staff participated in seven two-hour learning circles over 7 months, discussing different aspects of youth suicide prevention in schools. PC CARES learning circles discuss how research-based best practices can make people’s lives better, and in doing so, create communities of practice for locally-tailored suicide prevention.
In 2020-2023, 167 participants from 21 communities participated in PC CARES. Moreover, School staff were invited to complete a Steps to Prevention (StP) Survey, twice six-months apart, to assess participants’ learning outcomes ranging from suicide prevention self-efficacy to postvention actions, 143 out of the 167 participants completed the StP Survey.
Participants of the Zoom learning circles, overall, reported significant benefits across reported learning and behavioral outcomes. Participants increased prevention-related behaviors, collaborated more, and improved interpersonal support giving behaviors. PC CARES participant did more for postvention to reduce risk of suicide. This creates avenues for offering support and maintaining protective environments for students.
Wexler, L., White, L., Moto, R., Schmidt, T., Heinze, J., Evans, E., Zhong, A., Kapoulea, E., & Laws, H. (2026). Training school staff to prevent suicide and promote mental health: Outcomes from virtual PC CARES at school intervention. School Mental Health, 1–20.