William, Educator: Turning to the Toolkit When It Mattered Most

By William Blair, Mountain View-Los Altos (MVLA) Wellness Coordinator

In the hardest moment of my career as an educator, I was able to lean on the expertise, guidance, and care of the Heard Alliance and the K-12 Toolkit for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention. With the swirling immediacy of presenting needs (communications, staff meetings, support for students and teachers, grief counseling, upcoming school events, etc.), the toolkit and the team anchored our collective response and provided wisdom and advice for each situation that arose.

We were able to adapt and refine sections of the toolkit that most directly addressed the circumstances that we were facing in the first few days and throughout the following weeks. The toolkit also serves as a guide for our prevention work as we continue to strengthen and expand our culture of care and support. It takes a community, and the Heard Alliance is an essential part of our community.