HOPE Squad Receives Two Trainings

Diamond Fork Jr. High's HOPE Squad had the opportunity to take a field trip to Mrs. Allison Hansen's. Mrs. Hansen is a certified mental health therapist. Allison uses horses as part of her treatment to help her clients. She has a nice big barn with all the necessary equipment used to care for horses.

The HOPE Squad had the opportunity to experience various activities while at her home. Many of the activities helped us to recognize the warning signs of suicide. We had many beneficial presentations and power point slide shows from the counselors and Mrs. Hansen. We had the opportunity to work in groups with the horses and take them through different obstacles. Mrs. Hansen said something that we all can learn from: "You can't give others water when your well is dry." We as HOPE Squad members need to take care of ourselves so that we can recognize and help others who are suffering or need our help.

We also learned about boundaries. We split up into groups and each group had a horse. Mrs. Hansen told us the obstacle we had to take the horse through. She did not tell us very many details because she was wanting to see what we could figure out on our own. Mrs. Hansen did not bring to our attention she had lead ropes hanging on the fence that we could use. Once we realized the ropes were there it made it easier to go through the obstacle. Once the horse and we became comfortable with each other the obstacle became easier. We were also instructed on the warning signs of suicide and how to respond to comments.

Overall, we had a great day that was filled with very informative information that can benefit many people. Diamond Fork is lucky to have the HOPE Squad at our school!