Let's Reach the Parents
September Is Suicide Prevention Month. Let’s Reach the Parents Too.
September is Suicide Prevention Month.
Schools across the country will spend this month reminding students that asking for help is a sign of strength.
But there is another group we need in this conversation too.
Parents.
After losing my 13-year-old son Ryan to suicide following years of bullying and cyberbullying, I learned many lessons I desperately wish I had understood when he was alive.
One of the most important is this:
Our children need more than one trusted adult they know they can turn to.
I recently gave a school principal complimentary access to my new Parent Education Video Program. After watching it, she sent me this:
“Your message made me realize how important it is to make sure my daughter has another trusted adult in her life. Thankfully, she immediately named a teacher she admires and feels she could confide in. That conversation alone reinforced for me just how important your message is.”
That is exactly why I created this program.
Not simply to give parents information.
To start conversations that might otherwise never happen.
A Parent Program They Can Actually Attend
For years, school leaders have told me the same thing:
“We know parents need this information. We just can’t get them to show up.”
So I removed the auditorium, the childcare problem, the transportation problem, and the scheduling problem.
Schools can now provide my Parent Education Video Program to their entire parent and caregiver community for the school year.
Parents watch privately from home, whenever it works for them.
The program addresses:
Connection matters most. Being present beats having the perfect answer.
Build a circle of support.
Trusted adults, counselors, and community resources help carry the load.
The landscape has changed.
Bullying has moved from bruised bodies to bruised hearts — cruelty that follows kids home.
Practical steps. Starting hard conversations, spotting warning signs, setting digital boundaries.
Resilience: The five pillars: competence, confidence, connection, character, caring.
Asking for help is strength, not failure.
No child should carry a serious problem alone.
And it is available in both English and Spanish.
Let Me Give You Free Access First
I don't expect a school to purchase something this important without seeing it first.
Reply to this email and I will give you complimentary access to the complete parent presentation so you can evaluate it yourself.
No obligation.
After more than 20 years, 2,500 schools, and over one million students, I remain convinced of this:
Schools cannot carry the responsibility for our children's well-being alone.
We need parents in this fight too.
And Suicide Prevention Month is a pretty good time to bring them into the conversation.
John Halligan Ryan's Story
59 Village Rd, Southington, CT, USA 802-578-8229
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