Helping Without Losing Yourself Decision Tool¶
Specification¶
The full specification below is extracted from Chapter 5: Mental Health and Crisis Support.
Type: workflow
**sim-id:** helping-without-losing-yourself-tool<br/>
**Library:** Mermaid<br/>
**Status:** Specified
Bloom Taxonomy Level: Analyze (L4)
Bloom Verb: distinguish, examine, differentiate
Learning objective: Students distinguish healthy peer-support boundaries
from unsustainable or inappropriate ones, and examine when a helper should
involve additional adult or professional support for their own sake as
well as their friend's.
Visual style: Mermaid flowchart, top-to-bottom, click handlers on every
node
Nodes (all clickable):
1. "You Are Supporting a Friend's Ongoing Mental Health Challenge" — click
text: "This applies to ongoing support, distinct from an acute safety
crisis, which always requires immediate adult or 988 involvement"
2. "Are You Being Asked to Keep a Safety Risk Secret?" (decision diamond) —
click text: "This boundary is never optional — a safety secret is
always shared with a trusted adult"
3a. "Yes" → "Tell a Trusted Adult, Regardless of the Promise" — click
text: "This protects your friend's safety and your own wellbeing"
3b. "No" → "Is This Affecting Your Own Sleep, Mood, or Schoolwork?" — click
text: "Noticing this in yourself is not a sign you are a bad friend —
it is a sign you need support too"
4a. From 3b, "Yes" → "Tell Your Own Trusted Adult and Set Limits" — click
text: "Setting a limit on your own availability does not mean you have
abandoned your friend"
4b. From 3b, "No" → "Continue Supportive Listening and Encourage
Professional Help" — click text: "Ongoing encouragement toward
professional care remains the goal even when things feel manageable"
5. Shared end node "Friend Is Connected to Appropriate Support, and You
Remain Well" — click text: "A sustainable support role protects both
people, not just one"
Connections: 1→2, 2→3a, 2→3b, 3b→4a, 3b→4b, 3a→5, 4a→5, 4b→5
Color coding: gold for decision diamonds, blue for process steps, green
for the shared end node
Interactive features: click any node for its infobox
Implementation: Mermaid.js flowchart with JavaScript click bindings to a
custom showInfo() function