While suicide prevention is a topic covered year round on Wayne State College’s campus, September is when the school takes extra steps.
While suicide rates have increased over the years, there seems to be “an increased risk around the time of midterms and finals,” said Mandi Allen. Allen is a licensed student counselor on campus. Her job includes suicide prevention not only in the month of September but during the whole school year.
The Student Health and Counseling Center does toilet talks once a month and brings in a speaker in the fall and spring. Toilet talks can be found all over campus in bathroom stalls and cover lots of different topics. September’s toilet talk discussed why suicide is not the decision to make and was called “Thirteen Reason Why Not.”
WSC is bringing in Donna Wolff for Suicide Prevention Training on Oct. 30, at 4:00 p.m. Donna Wolff is a “training and outreach specialist,” according to the National Indigenous Reseach Center. After losing her son to suicide, her main goal is to share her son’s story and reduce the stigma surrounding suicide.
Another way the SHACC tries to prevent suicide is through the Behavioral Intervention Team, or BIT. This is a way for students to understand the importance of informing someone of a person having suicidal thoughts. Studen’t can report a concern for a fellow peer having thoughts of suicide to the BIT team. The BIT section on WSC’s website also includes information on how to respond and what to do if a concerning situation occurs.
“Many students are not aware our school has this available for students, “ said Allen. More information about BIT can be found on the school’s website under Behavioral Intervention Team.
If you or someone you know have any questions regarding mental health or suicide, reach out to the counseling center on campus located in the Kanter Student Center, room 103 or call 402-375-7321. If you need immediate help, call campus security at 402-375-7216 or the Crisis Lifeline at 988.
