Empathy program can save kids' lives, says researcher
A program designed at the University of Alberta could help bring down suicide rates among high school students, according to a U of A psychiatry professor.
The Empathy program was designed by Dr. Peter Silverstone.
Silverstone wants to see the province reinstate funding for the program that started as a pilot project in Red Deer public schools in 2013.
“I was listening to CBC Radio and there was the superintendent of Red Deer public schools talking about the tragedy in Red Deer where they’d had a number of suicides in youth,” Silverstone said at a news conference Tuesday.
He contacted superintendent Stu Henry in 2013 about designing a program to lower teen suicide rates.
Red Deer public jumped on board and the pilot project ran for two years, funded by the provincial government.
“It turned out to be extremely effective,” Silverstone said.
Fewer students thinking of suicide
More than 6,000 youth in Grades 6-12 took part in the program.
Silverstone said the percentage of students who were actively suicidal decreased from 4.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent. Rates of anxiety and depression also saw significant declines.
Dr. Peter Silverstone says the Empathy program can save lives. (CBC)
The pilot project ran for two years until 2015 when the provincial government decided not to fund it any more, said Silverstone.
He doesn’t blame the province for that decision, saying the project lacked the long-term data at that point to convince the government it was working.
Now, he said, he has the numbers to prove the Empathy program can save lives.
“This is the thing that can make more difference to more people than anything else I’ve ever done,” he said. “Because if you can prevent and you intervene early, you can change the trajectory of students’ lives. And that has huge impacts for all of us.”
Annual cost $150 per student
The program was part of the health curriculum in Red Deer.
It was led by “resiliency coaches” — people who worked well with youth and were trained in the program.
Silverstone said the program is extremely cost-effective, costing only about $150 per student for each school year.
That’s money well spent, he said, particularly because it is early intervention.
“If you don’t do something in schools, you will have large numbers of Albertans that will have depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, excessive alcohol use, and bullying,” he said. “If you intervene, you can minimize a lot of that.”
Silverstone said he wants to see the province make funding the Empathy program across Alberta a priority.
Health Minister Sarah Hoffman was unavailable for an interview Tuesday but her office said it would issue a statement about the program.