A peer-led mental health program that started in Colorado nearly 30 years ago is showing measurable success in preventing teen suicides.
A newly published study found that Sources of Strength, a program that trains student leaders to foster resilience and encourage help-seeking behaviors, helped reduce suicide attempts by 29% among high school students over two years.
The randomized controlled trial, conducted in partnership with the state's health department, the University of Rochester and the University of North Carolina, followed 6,539 students across 20 Colorado high schools.
Researchers said the findings provided some of the most substantive evidence yet that peer-driven mental health programs can have a measurable impact on suicide prevention.
Scott LoMurray, CEO of Sources of Strength, said the study validates what many educators and mental health professionals have long believed.
"Young people have a tremendous power to create positive transformation in their schools and communities," he said. "This study is a pivotal moment for youth mental health and suicide prevention. The evidence shows that upstream, strength-based prevention programs like Sources of Strength work and can save lives."
Based in Lakewood, the program has expanded to more than 250 schools across Colorado, including every Denver metro area school district. It operates in elementary, middle and high schools.
LoMurray said that, unlike traditional crisis-focused interventions, which primarily react to mental health emergencies, Sources of Strength emphasizes prevention by equipping students with the tools to build resilience, social connection and help-seeking behaviors before they reach a crisis point.
According to the program's website, students are nominated by their peers for their ability to influence others in positive ways. Alongside adult advisers, these student leaders receive training on how to promote mental well-being throughout their schools.
The study found that Sources of Strength's impact extended across diverse racial, gender and socioeconomic groups, reinforcing the program's adaptability in different school communities.
"That was one of the most encouraging findings," LoMurray said. "We're seeing these results hold across different demographic groups. That's rare in this space."
That broad impact has been especially valuable in rural communities, where mental health services are often limited, said Chelsey Lehmkuhl, a regional training consultant with the Colorado School Safety Resource Center in Lakewood.
"As a previous Adult Advisor for the Sources of Strength program at Sterling High School, I witnessed the value in the program firsthand," she said. "For rural schools, investing in Sources of Strength means investing in stronger, healthier communities where students are empowered to lift each other, break the stigma around mental health and create a culture of support."
Lehmkuhl said the program helps combat social isolation and encourages students to build healthy coping strategies, meaningful relationships and access to trusted adults -- all of which are essential in preventing crises and promoting overall well-being.
"When young people have the strength to reach out and seek help, the entire community benefits," she said.
Despite its success overall, the study revealed a significant gap: students who had recently experienced sexual violence did not see the same reduction in suicide attempts.
The finding surprised LoMurray, who had hoped the program's protective effects would extend to all students.
"It underscores the fact that students facing trauma often need more than a public health intervention," he said. "They need specialized support, and this study reinforces the importance of addressing their unique needs."
For LoMurray, this reinforces the importance of trusted adult connections in suicide prevention, which is why Sources of Strength trains students and adults together rather than separately.
"We don't just train students or adults. We train them together because prevention is most powerful when youth and trusted adults partner in this work," he said.
When asked to recount a memorable experience during his time leading Sources of Strength, LoMurray shared Cody's story, a student in Idaho who once struggled with isolation and suicidal thoughts.
He described watching Cody stand before his school board advocating for the program.
"Cody told this story about how he never felt like he belonged," LoMurray said. "He never felt like he had friends. He never felt connected or seen until he joined Sources of Strength, and that's when he found his voice, community and friends. He said if he had found this when he was in elementary school, it would have saved him five years of wanting to die."
While Sources of Strength is primarily used in schools, the program has expanded into LGBTQ+ centers, detention centers and the military.
"Our approach is flexible. We don't impose a one-size-fits-all curriculum -- we work with communities to help them shape the program in ways that resonate with their culture and needs," LoMurray said.
This story was made available via the Colorado °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ Collaborative. Learn more at