Many people fear that asking someone about suicidal thoughts may plant the idea in their head.
But as students in the Center for Student Health and Counseling’s (SHAC) suicide prevention course learn, there isn’t any evidence that supports this misconception. Studies show that talking about suicide does not increase suicidal ideation or behaviors, though it may feel difficult or awkward to bring up.
SHAC’s free Care. Ask. Connect course seeks to change that by equipping members of our campus community with information and resources about suicide risk and prevention. It’s part of a group effort to reduce stigma about mental health concerns, prioritize mental health and well-being and create a culture of care at PSU.
“College can be a very challenging time for many students. Our data shows that mental health concerns such as stress, anxiety and depression have been on the rise for more than a decade,” says Marcy Hunt, Director of Counseling Services at SHAC. “Being a part of a community of care that values mental health and is committed to raising awareness about suicide prevention can save lives and enhance well-being.”
SHAC’s team previously offered small, in-person suicide prevention workshops to groups of 25 or fewer people. But that model had limited reach, and they’ve wanted to create a more accessible campus-wide suicide prevention training course for years.
A grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) gave the team an opportunity to take a fresh approach. Using funds from the grant, students, faculty and staff collaborated on a new online course, which they intentionally designed for the PSU community to do independently and at their own pace. This shift helped them expand their reach and capacity, and give individuals a more flexible way to engage with the material.
When the Care. Ask. Connect course launched, SHAC’s team set an ambitious goal to enroll 5,000 individuals across campus. The goal would go a long way to supporting mental health and well-being at PSU, where, historically, students score higher on the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire than national collegiate averages.
The feedback from course participants has been positive. “Many people have told us they appreciated learning that it is okay to directly ask and talk with someone about their suicidal thoughts, and that learning how to ask the question in a supportive, connecting way has also been helpful,” says Hunt.
The course provides a wealth of information and resources and teaches individuals how to talk about suicide as well as:
- Identify signs of suicide, including emotional pain and hopelessness.
- Ask clear and direct questions when they think someone is at risk of suicide.
- Connect individuals with resources on campus and beyond, including crisis lines, short-term counseling and therapeutic groups.
SHAC’s informative course can help you gain the confidence and skills to provide support to an individual experiencing thoughts of suicide, whether you take it all at once or over the course of a few lunch breaks. It’s also an opportunity to support SHAC’s goal to have 5,000 individuals finish the course by September, and to become part of the PSU’s culture of care.
You can enroll in SHAC’s Care. Ask. Connect. suicide prevention training here. If you are in need of immediate support, call 988, the national mental health and suicide prevention line. SHAC Counseling Services is also available for walk-in appointments Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Find additional national crisis support lines and culturally specific crisis resources here.
Photography courtesy Aedin Powell from Care. Ask. Connect. training course.