Jewish Community Service of Greater New Orleans (JFS) created the Teen Life Counts (TLC) program 40 years ago with the goal to educate youth about the warning signs of suicide and to inform them about resources in the community that are available to help them. Through the TLC program, JFS provides training sessions at Greater New Orleans area schools for students, teachers, and school mental health professionals, designed to help students and the adults who support them to recognize the warning signs of suicidal ideation and clinical depression in themselves and their peers, plus train a network of adults to provide immediate and effective support in times of crisis. Participants learn what resources are available to support youth in crisis.

Students participate in an age-appropriate 2-part curriculum at their school, led by JFS program staff or affiliated school mental health professionals. The curriculum is regularly updated to reflect the most current American Association of Suicidology research and the most current statistics from the CDC. Outcomes are measured by pre and post surveys that evaluate student’s gained knowledge of symptoms of depression, the warning signs of suicidality, and resources for help both local and national.