Sources of Strength

Sources of Strength is an evidence-based program supported and implemented by TSPN within the state of Tennessee for the purpose of preventing youth suicide, bullying, substance abuse, and violence among our state’s children, teens, and young adults. Scroll down to find out how to bring this program to your community. 

Sources of Strength

The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN) is partnering with the Tennessee Department of  Health (TDH) to implement Sources of Strength, an evidence-based program designed to promote youth and community mental health and prevent youth suicide, bullying, substance abuse, and violence among our state’s children, teens, and young adults. TSPN and TDH are currently marketing the program to youth-serving agencies (schools, church youth groups, community centers, etc.) in rural areas of Tennessee. 


Sources of Strength was established by Mark LoMurray, the former head of the Police Youth Bureau in North Dakota, in 1998 to offer proactive and systematic responses to the problems of youth suicide and substance abuse. Since then, Sources of Strength has been adopted by schools, colleges, churches, detention centers, military bases across the United States, Canada, and Australia. 


Sources of Strength is unique in its use of peer leaders within the youth organizations hosting to promote and build the protective factors that help prevent suicide. Repeated evaluation of the program’s successes has led to Sources of Strength’s inclusion in the best practice registries of both the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Sources of Strength is also listed on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and it was included in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2017 report Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices. 

How It Works

The process starts with training a community/coalition on Sources of Strength, introducing the program to key administrators and conducting a brief review of how to handle distressed or suicidal students.

 

From there, we identify a group of two to five adult advisors who will mentor a peer leader team. These Adult Advisors receive training in the Sources of Strength process of Peer Leader recruitment and their role in meeting and guiding peer teams during the action step phase. Adult Advisors are a mix of school staff and community adults – school counselors, teachers, youth workers, spiritual leaders, friendly aunties – that have high relational connectivity with students.

 

The Adult Advisors recruit Peer Leader teams ranging from ten to fifty students in size. The initial Peer Leader training is provided by a certified Sources of Strength trainer in a highly interactive, 3-4-hour training. It is mandatory that the local Adult Advisors participate in the peer leader training.

 

After the initial training, the Peer Leaders and Adult Advisors begin mental health conversations with other trusted adults and close friends. They also work to create a wide range of “Hope, Help, Strength” messaging activities targeting a wider and diverse peer group. Sources of Strength provides a recommended step-by-step guide of Peer Leader activities, but teams can adjust based on their readiness level and perception of what will work best in their setting.

 

Teams hold regular meetings (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.) to plan and activate some of the recommended Source of Strength strategies and perhaps some of their own. All activities focus on using “Hope, Help, Strength” messaging rather than shocking, traumatic, or sad messaging in approaches. Sources of Strength assists students with connecting with adults and their friendship groups. Peer teams can share their creative efforts with other teams across the country via the Sources of Strength website and social media accounts. We encourage all Adult Advisors to provide honoring and recognition events for their Peer Leader teams. Sources of Strength staff are always available to help with troubleshooting.

Want to Know More?

Full information about the Sources of Strength module is available from the program website, sourcesofstrength.org.


Anyone interested in implementing Sources of Strength within Tennessee may contact Kearee Jackson, TSPN’s Youth Programs Director and Sources of Strength's liaison for the state of Tennessee. Mr. Jackson may be reached directly at kjackson@tspn.org or 615-245-8016 for guidance in bringing Source of Strength to the young people you serve.



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