The conversation is over. Whatever was said, your next step is the same, and it happens today — not after the weekend, not once you’re sure. This module walks the handoff: who you tell, what you say, what to write down, and the lines a teacher never crosses.
Same day, warm handoff
Go to your school counselor, psychologist, or student support team before you leave the building — self-harm referrals do not wait for a convenient moment. If your school has a referral form, use it AND speak to a human; paper alone is how these fall through cracks.
The best version is a warm handoff: walk with the student, introduce them yourself — “This is someone I trust, and I’ve told her you’ve been carrying a lot” — and let them see the two adults in their corner meet. If the student refused to come, go alone and tell the counselor everything you observed.
What to say and what to write
Report observations, not conclusions: what you saw, what was said in the conversation as close to verbatim as you can manage, and when. “Three parallel healing cuts on the left forearm, hoodie in 85-degree weather since March, said ‘it helps me feel something’” is useful. “She’s a cutter” is not.
Write a brief factual note for yourself the same day — date, what you observed, who you told, when. Facts only, no diagnosis, no speculation. If questions come later, “I noticed, I responded, I referred, I documented” is exactly the record you want to have.
Where your job ends
- •You do not assess severity, frequency, or risk — that’s a clinical evaluation, and it belongs to clinicians
- •You do not ask to see injuries, photograph anything, or search belongings
- •You do not build a safety plan, set quit deadlines, or make the student promise anything
- •You do not call parents yourself — how and when family is told is the counselor’s call, made with training you aren’t expected to have (and getting it wrong can make home less safe, not more)
- •You do not carry this alone or sit on it to “see how next week goes”
When it’s more than a referral
Two situations change the tempo. If the student says anything about wanting to die, or you suspect the injuries reflect suicidal intent, that is the crisis lane: counselor or crisis team immediately, the student is not left alone, and the Crisis page linked below has every number. When in doubt, treat it as the crisis lane — the cost of over-calling is minutes; the cost of under-calling is not.
And if anything suggests the injuries were caused by someone else, or abuse sits anywhere in the picture, you are a mandated reporter — that is a report to the state line, not just a note to the counselor. Reasonable suspicion is the threshold; investigating is not your job.
If a student is in immediate danger, call 911.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 · Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741. The full Crisis & Referral guide is free inside the portal.
Knowledge check
A tenth grader confirmed he’s been burning his arm. It’s Friday, 3:05pm, and the counselor’s office looks dark. What do you do?
Reflect
Do you actually know, by name, who receives a self-harm referral at your school — and who the backup is when they’re out? If not, finding out this week is this module’s homework.
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Key takeaways
- Refer the same day, to a person, ideally as a warm handoff.
- Report and record observations, not conclusions — facts, dates, who you told.
- No assessing, no examining, no safety plans, no parent calls — that’s the clinical lane.
- Suicidal talk or suspected abuse changes the lane: crisis protocol or mandated report, immediately.