Recognizing that suicide is a tragic issue facing all institutions of higher education and is the second leading cause of death among U.S. college-age young people, Longwood University announced the inauguration of an innovative program to train faculty and staff in suicide prevention, in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day on Saturday, September 10, 2011.
Saturday's theme, ‘Changing the Legacy of Suicide', offers Longwood University faculty and staff the opportunity to discuss this tragic act, which accounts for almost 1,400 university-wide on-campus deaths a year, and to learn how to recognize a student in trouble. A recent study by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in the Journal of Affective Disorders found 12 percent of students surveyed had considered suicide at least once, and 24.5 percent of that group had thought about it repeatedly.
Longwood faculty and staff will learn and practice the skills of identifying and addressing students who are experiencing psychological distress including anxiety, depression, victimization, and thoughts of suicide using the unique online training simulation: At-Risk for University Faculty. This online training simulation was developed in 2009 by award-winning interactive learning company Kognito Interactive and is currently in use on more than 100 campuses throughout the country.
At-Risk is a one-hour, online simulation in which faculty and staff engage virtual role-play with emotionally responsive student avatars showing signs of depression, substance abuse, bullying, and thoughts of suicide. At the end of the training, they will have acquired both the ability to act as soon as they have a concern about a student, and the comfort and skill to help the student seek help.
Longwood University faculty and staff can access the program by going to http://aruf.kognito.comand follow the instructions. (A short demo of the program can be viewed at http://www.kognito.com.)
If you are reading this article and are experiencing thoughts of suicide, please know that Longwood University cares and you are encouraged to contact the Student Health Center at 434-395-2102 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
