On average, 10-15 students every year come to me with suicidal feelings.

They’re terrified to tell their parents.

I work with these kids & their parents on how to talk together about it.

In every single case, the relief kids experience in not hiding it anymore is tangible.

We live in a culture of outrage, where people feel pressure to have a loud opinion on everything.

But what kids need is understanding.

Someone who smiles when she listens to them.

An adult who offers insight, after he asks questions.

In short: less opinion, more curiosity.

I have a professional process for handling students in crisis.

But a critical way we can ALL help young people is to put aside our own stories & hot takes, & simply listen with interest.

It’s not hard.

But it does require humility. And time & effort. And grace & lots of love.

A practical note for ministry folks & educators:

Often, cries for help are buried in self-reflection papers, doodles, moody posts, offhand comments, or text messages.

It’s amazing how quickly kids open up when you privately ask, “Tell me more about this. How are you doing?”