Saratoga High School Suicide Triggers Additional Counseling Services

After the tragic loss of a 15-year-old student to suicide in mid September at Saratoga High School, the nonprofit Counseling and Support Services for Youth, or CASSY, began offering support on campus in November.

Liz Schoeben, executive director of CASSY, explained the agency partners with local schools to provide comprehensive mental health services at no charge.

It currently partners with 24 local elementary, middle and high schools in the area.

The program has been in existence at Los Gatos High School for more than three years, and expanded to SHS this fall after the campus experienced the tragedy and requested more support, Schoeben said.

CASSY was founded in 2009 by Schoeben and it's placed Kim Cousens, a licensed clinical social worker, at SHS 20 hours per week.

Cousens has 20 years of experience working with youth and her services are available to the entire student body, according to Schoeben.

She is also available for parent and staff consultation and is beginning a new peer counseling program at SHS based on one implemented at Gunn High School in Palo Alto.

Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District officials have remained quiet about the suicide.

Patch sent an email to district officials seeking comment about what kind of support system is in place to help students deal with suicide, but that inquiry went unanswered.

It's rumored that the girl was bullied, but it's not known for how long or if school officials knew. It's also unknown how many students visited the grief counseling center at the school following the suicide.

Details: kcousens@lgsuhsd.org.