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Suicide Prevention Resources

Get Involved in Suicide Prevention Efforts

Faculty, staff, and students are all welcome! Here are several ways to get involved.

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Gatekeeper Trainings

Learn how to recognize, respond to, and refer individuals with mental health concerns including suicidal thoughts.

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Suicide Prevention Team

The Suicide Prevention Team (SPT) was formed in 2013 as a way to increase awareness and prevention of suicide on Miami’s campus. The team consists of staff, faculty, and students dedicated to these efforts. 

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Student Organizations

Are you a student? Check out the many mental health-related student organizations you can join!

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Crisis Text Line 741741

Need Help?

Contact the national Crisis Text Line for 24/7 confidential help via text.

Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a volunteer Crisis Counselor.

How to Help a Friend

  • Reach out. Let them know they are not alone in feeling this way and that it is ok to ask for help.
  • Start a conversation. “I’m worried about you because you seem…” (e.g., sad, isolated, etc). Be specific about what you notice. “It concerned me when you said…”
    • Ask calmly with open-ended questions and use I-statements.
  • Offer to listen and listen without judgment.
    • “Do you want to talk about it?”
    • “What can I do to help?"
  • Connect them with campus resources. Refer them to the Student Counseling Service (513-529-4634) or Dean of Students (513-529-1877).
  • Never be afraid to give your friend a call, pay a visit, or send them a message to let them know you are concerned.
  • Ask directly if they have thoughts of suicide.
    • Asking does not plant the idea in someone’s head.
    • Communicate verbally and nonverbally that it is safe to answer honestly.
    • Ask if they have a plan, materials, and a timeline.
    • By reaching out to a friend, you are not attempting to fix your friend’s problems, but to connect them to support services.
    • Call 9-1-1 if your friend is in imminent danger of harming themselves.
    • Know your limits and seek help for yourself.

Want to help in a bigger sense, too? See info about our Mental Health First Aid and QPR Trainings. Remember: Suicide is preventable!

*Adapted from the “Help a Friend in Need” publication- The JED Foundation, Facebook, and Clinton Foundation.

Warning Signs

  • Talking about suicide or wanting to die. “I want out.” “Everyone would be better off without me.” “There is no reason to live.”
  • Talking about feeling alone, hopeless, isolated, useless, or a burden to others. “I don’t want to get out of bed…ever.” “Leave me alone.”
  • Showing irritability and hostility that is out of character.
  • Impulsive behaviors. Driving recklessly, increase in substance use, or taking other risks.
  • Withdrawal from or change in everyday activities Intense and urgent emotional despair or intense guilt or shame. “I can’t take this pain anymore.” “There is no way out.”  “I’m a failure.”
    • Not going to class, drop in grades, missed assignments.
    • Change in appetite and sleep.
    • Low energy, concentration, or motivation.
    • Neglect of health and self-care.
  • Showing rage or seeking revenge. “I’ll show you all. You’ll be sorry.”
  • Saying goodbyes, giving away personal possessions.
  • Glorifying death or making death seem heroic.
  • Posting distressing messages, emoticons, or content on social media.
  • Asking where/how to get potentially lethal means such as access to pills or weapons.

*Adapted from the “Help a Friend in Need” publication- The JED Foundation, Facebook, and Clinton Foundation.

 

Suicide Prevention Team

The mission of the Suicide Prevention Team (SPT; part of Miami University Student Counseling Service) is to plan, coordinate, and implement suicide prevention activities. Based on a primary prevention model, the objectives of these activities are to educate and inform our campus community about factors contributing to suicide, support peer-led efforts to intervene when a fellow student is in distress (consistent with Miami’s values of Love & Honor), and provide support for the campus community in the area of student emotional health. We will work toward this mission through the objectives listed below.

  1. Provide suicide prevention information on campus to increase help-seeking among students (e.g., plan and coordinate Suicide Prevention Week events in the fall semester and stress reduction activities in the spring semester; use social media to promote mental health screenings and phone apps designed to allow quick access to local support resources). 
  2. Collaborate with fellow team members and other campus units to best utilize resources to prevent suicide (e.g., peer educators from the Office of Student Wellness providing suicide prevention training to their peers; assist SPT faculty members with suicide prevention research projects). 
  3. Ensure the highest quality and most effective suicide prevention efforts for the campus community by using best practices and evidence-based research to inform and coordinate our activities and encourage collaboration with partners.
  4. Coordinate mental health gatekeeper training programming for the campus community to educate gatekeepers about how to identify, respond, and refer those in distress to the appropriate resources.

Subcommittees

Are you interested in joining the Suicide Prevention Team? Please review the subcommittees listed below and sign up for one or more using the form below.

Suicide Prevention Research Subcommittee

The Suicide Prevention (SP) Research subcommittee is chaired by Erik Sorensen and meets to locate and discuss recent SP literature and research and explore ways to get involved with current research studies on campus.

Time commitment: approximately 1 hour every other week.

Suicide Prevention Week Subcommittee

The SP Week subcommittee is co-chaired by Erik Sorensen and Jennifer Young. Each fall semester, in conjunction with National Suicide Prevention month, the SPT hosts a series of events for members of the campus and City of Oxford area residents. The signature event of the week is the Suicide Prevention 5K Walk, held in late September or early October. Members of the subcommittee assist in organizing the 5K Walk and coordinating the week’s other activities.

Time commitment: approximately 1 hour every other week (possibly weekly closer to the event) in mid-spring semester and early fall semester.

Stress Less Week Subcommittee

The SPT hosts “Stress Less Week” in early April of each year with the goal of helping students find effective ways to manage stress. Members of this subcommittee, co-chaired by Jennifer Young and Katelyn Howell, assist in organizing and scheduling a series of events and activities over the week as well as assist in planning a large fair-type of event on Stress Less Day, the culminating event of the week.

Time commitment: approximately 1 hour every other week between January-April (possibly weekly closer to the event).

Suicide Prevention Advertising Subcommittee

The SP Advertising subcommittee will assist with promoting the team’s activities throughout the year and will assist in designing flyers and social media content.

Time commitment: approximately 1-2 hours/month.

Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness Facility

Student Counseling Service

Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness Facility
421 South Campus Ave.
Oxford, Ohio 45056
513-529-4634 Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Connect With Us on Twitter