Staff Resources

DPI SEL Competencies 

A Student Assistance Program (SAP) is a K-12 school-based framework for prevention, early intervention, referral and support for students with needs that may prevent them from fully benefitting from their educational experience. SAP focuses on building supports for students dealing with non-academic barriers to learning including behavioral health, emotional and social wellbeing, family and relationship issues, as well as other life needs. Referrals should be made to School Counselors. 

FOR STAFF:

Please see building administrators or school psychologists for titles housed in your building's Mental Health Library. If you're seeking a specific title, please reach out to Emily Perry at perem@onalaskaschools.com.

For elementary school students:

Please see the Child Mind Institute for a categorized list of book titles to support children's mental health. Topics include: Abuse, ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Bullying, Depression, Dyslexia, Feelings, Grief & Loss, Identity, Neglect, OCD, Self Esteem, Selective Mutism, Sensory Processing, Tourette's Syndrome, Trauma

For middle and high school students, please see the list below:

1. Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab – YA Fiction (recommended audience: 9-12)

Breath Like Water is a fiction novel about two teenagers on the same swim team; one of whom experiences Bipolar II Disorder. The protagonist, Susannah, tries to love him through it the best she can, but she has her own very apparent mental health struggles that are undiagnosed. This book was a breath of fresh air for me as a reader, because it’s really fascinating to see the diagnosed and self-aware character so starkly contrasted with the protagonist, who has yet to receive help for her glaring mental health concerns. It does a really great job of addressing treated vs. untreated mental illness, and the ways we try to ‘fix’ those around us as an act of love.

2. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez – YA Fiction (recommended audience: 10-12)

I didn’t want this book to end when I read it. It almost reads as a modern-day Perks of Being A Wallflower. The main character is holding on to her sister’s biggest secret, while struggling to feel like she is the family disappointment and trying to fiercely deal with her depression and grief at losing her sister Olga. It delves into issues of family, culture, gendered expectations, and perfectionism.

3. Tweak by Nic Sheff – memoir (recommended audience: 10-12)

A great memoir about the effects of addiction on a person and their family. Author Nic Sheff, despite coming from a loving and supportive family, turned to drugs and used them long-term. His experiences reveal to readers that addiction and substance use truly do not discriminate. This book is accompanied by a memoir written by the author’s father David Sheff, titled Beautiful Boy. It has been made into a movie starring Steve Carrell. Tweak offers a very realistic and raw look at addiction and its grip on the human body and soul.

4. The Madness Vase by Andrea Gibson – poems (recommended audience: 9-12)

This poetry collection by a spoken word giant, Andrea Gibson, covers a variety of topics. It opens with a poem titled “The Madness Vase,” in which the author grapples with their own coming of age, identity, and mental health. Andrea Gibson is a non-binary person who has such a range of experience. Their experience is reflected beautifully in this poetry collection about grief, loss, family, mental health, being LGBTQIA+, class and more.

5. Depression and Other Magic Tricks by Sabrina Benaim – poems (recommended audience: 9-12)

This collection by Sabrina Benaim includes poems about mental health and the realities of mental illness, as well as themes of love/relationships and family. Sabrina Benaim’s spoken word piece “Explaining my Depression to my Mother” is a salient and relatable introduction to this collection about depression and the realities faced by young people.

6. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – fiction (recommended audience: 9-12)

Perks is a coming-of-age story about a boy named Charlie. As the book opens, it’s revealed that his friend has taken his own life. Throughout the text, Charlie struggles with belonging, finding a group of friends, and constantly worrying about the people around him at the expense of himself. His own mental health is fragile, but his innermost thoughts pull us into his story as he seeks to come of age while experiencing the fallout of trauma and manage a mental illness.

7. OCDaniel by Wesley King – fiction (recommended audience: 7-12)

OCDaniel is a great look at the realities of OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is stereotyped in mainstream media. It’s depiction includes severe tics and germophobia. But there’s much more to it! The wonderful thing about this book is that the author draws from his own experience with OCD to create a story that readers can relate to.

8. Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel – memoir (recommended audience: 10-12)

When I first read Prozac Nation, I was in high school. While officially a memoir, it’s also a feminist manifesto. It describes many of the realities women face in mental healthcare and systems that medicate, prescribe, and pathologize. Wurtzel does not sugar coat any part of her experiences being hospitalized or medicated, which contribute to the rawness and power of this memoir.

9. Good Enough by Jen Petro-Roy – fiction (recommended audience: 6-8)

Good Enough is a wonderful fiction story about a girl named Riley, who struggles with an eating disorder. When it comes to eating disorders, it’s difficult to write stories without engaging in tropes or myths and misconceptions. Jen Petro-Roy’s experience with an eating disorder informs her writing of this book. She also penned a beautiful nonfiction guide, You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorders. Together, these books teach middle grade students about body acceptance, fat phobia, and how to help people with eating disorders.

10. Hey, Kiddo – graphic novel (recommended audience: 7-12)

This graphic novel is pure power. It’s a memoir by Jarrett Krosoczka about family and addiction. The decision to translate this work into a graphic memoir is brilliant and bold. The author grew up with a mother addicted to drugs and a missing father. He found solace in art and drawing. So it makes sense that this book is a graphic novel because the author’s love for visual art and image is embedded in the incredible story. The genre makes this book accessible to middle grade students, and relatable and real to secondary students.

Purpose of a Re-Entry Meeting: Re-entry meetings are held when one of the following occurs: (1) a student is identified as high risk for self-injury and/or suicidality, (2) a suicide attempt in any location, or (3) a psychiatric hospitalization. Although development of an in-school Safety Plan is recommended, plans will vary based on each student’s needs. Consider, for example, in which settings self-harm ideation occurs.

Please see below for resources to guide discussion:

Re-Entry Plan 

Student Safety Plan 

Columbia Suicide Risk Screener for Teachers