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Lives Worth Living - Book Cover

Lives Worth Living

Applying Zero Suicide as a Prevention Approach for Schools

Foreword by Kelly Posner

Protect lives by building safer, stronger school communities

Suicide among our youth, especially the most vulnerable ones, is a growing yet preventable crisis. We can and must create a meaningful, systemic change by creating school environments where every student feels safe, seen, and supported.

Lives Worth Living offers a comprehensive, actionable framework that empowers school leaders, counselors, psychologists, and others to address this critical issue head-on. Drawing from the Zero Suicide framework as well as decades of research and practice, the authors, experts in school counseling, school psychology, and mental health, integrate a proactive and comprehensive suicide prevention approach with multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to help schools move upstream in their prevention efforts. Inside you will find:

  • Seven foundational components of the Zero Suicide framework adapted for schools—lead, educate, identify, engage, care, connect, improve—to elevate your prevention strategies
  • Proactive approaches that reduce risk while enhancing protective factors for all students
  • Real-world examples and voices from the field, centering on lived experiences of students, to inspire practical, compassionate implementation
  • Reflection questions and planning tools that guide school leaders and teams in creating sustainable, data-driven change

This hands-on guide blends leadership, education, engagement, and care into a unified approach that strengthens not only suicide prevention but also the entire school system. By taking action, educators can build safer school climates and empower students to lead lives worth living.

Full description

Lives Worth Living - Book Cover
Product Details
  • Grade Level: PreK-12
  • ISBN: 9781071876091
  • Published By: Corwin
  • Year: 2025
  • Page Count: 272
  • Publication date: November 11, 2025
Price: $34.95

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This book is not available as a review copy.
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Description

Description

Protect lives by building safer, stronger school communities

Suicide among our youth, especially the most vulnerable ones, is a growing yet preventable crisis. We can and must create a meaningful, systemic change by creating school environments where every student feels safe, seen, and supported.

Lives Worth Living offers a comprehensive, actionable framework that empowers school leaders, counselors, psychologists, and others to address this critical issue head-on. Drawing from the Zero Suicide framework as well as decades of research and practice, the authors, experts in school counseling, school psychology, and mental health, integrate a proactive and comprehensive suicide prevention approach with multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to help schools move upstream in their prevention efforts. Inside you will find:

  • Seven foundational components of the Zero Suicide framework adapted for schools—lead, educate, identify, engage, care, connect, improve—to elevate your prevention strategies
  • Proactive approaches that reduce risk while enhancing protective factors for all students
  • Real-world examples and voices from the field, centering on lived experiences of students, to inspire practical, compassionate implementation
  • Reflection questions and planning tools that guide school leaders and teams in creating sustainable, data-driven change

This hands-on guide blends leadership, education, engagement, and care into a unified approach that strengthens not only suicide prevention but also the entire school system. By taking action, educators can build safer school climates and empower students to lead lives worth living.

Author(s)

Author(s)

Stephen Sharp photo

Stephen Sharp

Stephen Sharp is a school counselor and best-selling author. He has worked to provide students with the knowledge and skills to be healthy and successful in the 21st century. Stephen has served on the governing boards of both his local, state and national school counseling organizations. Stephen completed his M.Ed at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, and BA from Lycoming College.

Steve is a best-selling author, and he is a co-founder of the Leadership Summit, a community-based social justice network to provide students the language and tools to understand and combat the many forms of oppression.

Stephen is a Nationally Certified School Suicide Prevention Specialist, and worked with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to pilot an electronic behavioral health screening for schools. He works tirelessly across nationally to provide education and training on mental health, substance abuse, and inequality.

Stephen frequently presents and writes on school counseling practice, leadership, technology, emerging career skills, mental health and race in education. Stephen was named the 2017 Pennsylvania Middle School Counselor of the Year.


Perri Rosen photo

Perri Rosen

Dr. Perri Rosen is a nationally certified school psychologist, licensed psychologist, and certified special educator. She received her M.S.Ed. in Human Development from the University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. in School Psychology from Temple University.

With over 10 years of experience in mental health and suicide prevention, and over 20 years of experience in education, Dr. Rosen has worked at both state and local levels to support students, educators, and school systems. She has helped lead multiple federally funded grants and initiatives focused on youth mental health and suicide prevention in schools, other youth-serving systems, and state government.

Dr. Rosen is passionate about supporting schools to meet the mental health needs of all students through multi-tiered and comprehensive approaches. She has helped develop and provide training, technical assistance, and guidance to schools on suicide prevention policies and procedures, crisis response and postvention, and cross-systems collaboration. Dr. Rosen has co-authored peer-reviewed research articles on various topics, including universal mental health screening, suicide prevention training for educators, and comprehensive school-based suicide prevention.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Lead

Chapter 2: Educate

Chapter 3: Identify

Chapter 4: Engage

Chapter 5: Care

Chapter 6: Connect (Transition)

Chapter 7: Improve

Conclusion

Reviews

Reviews

Quote by Kim Watson, K-6 Elementary School Counselor, Constitution Elementary, Deer Valley Unified School District, AZ: “Suicide prevention is a must for every level of education, and this book explains how to do it based on MTSS, which most schools already have in place. But the underlying message of the book goes beyond suicide prevention, with the goal of helping students create Lives Worth Living, which is what every educator shows up at work to do every day. The lessons start in kindergarten on day one.”
“Suicide prevention is a must for every level of education, and this book explains how to do it based on MTSS, which most schools already have in place. But the underlying message of the book goes beyond suicide prevention, with the goal of helping students create Lives Worth Living, which is what every educator shows up at work to do every day. The lessons start in kindergarten on day one.”
Kim Watson
K-6 Elementary School Counselor, Constitution Elementary, Deer Valley Unified School District, AZ
Quote by Debra Paradowski, Administrator, Mukwonago High School, WI: “The authors' deep insight and unwavering dedication to student well-being are at the heart of this book’s mission—to empower and equip educators with the knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to foster safer, more supportive school environments. By drawing vital connections between historical safety reforms and the pressing need for comprehensive suicide prevention in schools, this framework not only highlights the urgency of the issue but also provides clear, actionable steps for meaningful change. Through this work, the author paves the way for a future where every student is seen, supported, and given the opportunity to thrive—where no child is lost to suicide.”
“The authors' deep insight and unwavering dedication to student well-being are at the heart of this book’s mission—to empower and equip educators with the knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to foster safer, more supportive school environments. By drawing vital connections between historical safety reforms and the pressing need for comprehensive suicide prevention in schools, this framework not only highlights the urgency of the issue but also provides clear, actionable steps for meaningful change. Through this work, the author paves the way for a future where every student is seen, supported, and given the opportunity to thrive—where no child is lost to suicide.”
Debra Paradowski
Administrator, Mukwonago High School, WI
Quote by Dr. Haley Wikoff, Assistant Professor, Western Illinois University: Lives Worth Living: Zero Suicide in Schools is a compelling and necessary call to action for school systems facing the ongoing realities of youth suicide and mental health challenges. Grounded in both research and humanity, this book exposes the limitations of current systems and offers a practical, hopeful roadmap for change. With clear strategies to strengthen protective factors, build cross-system collaboration, and prioritize compassionate, data-informed interventions; it empowers every educator, leader, and mental health professional committed to student well-being to take its call to action seriously.
Lives Worth Living: Zero Suicide in Schools is a compelling and necessary call to action for school systems facing the ongoing realities of youth suicide and mental health challenges. Grounded in both research and humanity, this book exposes the limitations of current systems and offers a practical, hopeful roadmap for change. With clear strategies to strengthen protective factors, build cross-system collaboration, and prioritize compassionate, data-informed interventions; it empowers every educator, leader, and mental health professional committed to student well-being to take its call to action seriously.
Dr. Haley Wikoff
Assistant Professor, Western Illinois University
Quote by Guy Diamond, Professor Emeritus ,University of Pennsylvania: "The application of the Zero Suicide Frame work to youth suicide prevention in schools is brilliant! This book should be on every Principal's book shelf."
"The application of the Zero Suicide Frame work to youth suicide prevention in schools is brilliant! This book should be on every Principal's book shelf."
Guy Diamond
Professor Emeritus ,University of Pennsylvania
    Price: $34.95

    Review Copies

    This book is not available as a review copy.

    Other Titles in: Social/Emotional Leadership | Health & Wellness | Resiliency