Date of Award

6-2020

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Barragán, Armando

Abstract

Assembly Bill 2246, known as the pupil suicide prevention policies, was implemented into law at the start of the 2017-2018 academic school year. This legislation mandates that all secondary schools in the state of California implement a suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policy for at-risk students. Assembly Bill 2246 specifically recognizes the role of teachers in addressing pupil mental health and aims to provide support through policy. The purpose of this study is to measure teacher self-efficacy in addressing pupil mental health post Assembly Bill 2246. This study’s research design is comprised of a quantitative, pretest/posttest model using an independent samples t-test. The results of this study were collected either before or after gatekeeper training on suicide prevention facilitated by a mental health professional. The participants were asked to rate themselves in six measures based on pupil mental health and Assembly Bill 2246. The findings of this study showed a significant improvement in overall teacher self-efficacy but varied between the measures. This study has many implications for social work practice. The findings can help to streamline trainings that target teachers’ specific needs regarding their understanding of pupil mental health. In addition, these findings can assist in developing an effective collaboration between educators and mental health professionals in the pursuit of assisting at-risk students.

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