Suicide Prevention | Center for Prevention and Outreach

Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Awareness

Colleges play a critical role in addressing the emotional health of their students and creating systems, policies, and a culture that ensures their students get the help and support they need. Stony Brook University engages in campus-wide initiatives designed to increase awareness of suicide, including educational campaigns, presentations to faculty and staff about warning signs and appropriate actions, and training for students and student leaders. The Center for Prevention and Outreach provides our beautifully diverse campus with a wide range of workshops, drop in spaces, large events and bystander intervention trainings to educate, empower and connect students.

At times, the challenges of being a student can become increasingly hard to navigate and can lead to feelings of distress and thoughts of self-harm. The Center for Prevention and Outreach wants to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff are aware of the risk factors, warning signs, and resources available to anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, there are many ways to get immediate help (Call CAPS Crisis Line at 855-509-5742 if you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or 911).

We want to make sure our Seawolf community knows they are never alone; reaching out is a sign of strength; and we are in this together!

Suicide Prevention Month Additional Event Details

HOPE COMMITTEE

The HOPE Committee is a team of individuals and departments working together to bring awareness to mental health and suicide prevention on campus. The HOPE committee educates on best practices and empower non-clinical staff, faculty and student leaders to take ownership of the mental health of our community. The committee includes members from:

Academic and Transfer Advising	Recreation and Wellness	Diversity, Intercultural and Community Engagement	Center for Prevention and Outreach
Athletics	School of Nursing	Department of Ecology & Evolution	School of Health Technology Management
Interfaith Center	Residential Programs	Student Affairs Communications	Counseling and Psychological Services
LGBTQ* Services	Employee Assistance Program	HealthierU	Office of the Dean of Students
Office of Veteran Affairs	SBU School of Social Welfare	Student Accessibility and Support Center	Department of Sociology
Department of Psychology	Commuter Student Services & Off-Campus Living	Office of Student Life-Fraternity & Sorority Life

If you are interested in learning more and getting involved with The Hope Committee please contact: Melissa J. Woody, LMSW at melissa.woody@stonybrook.edu

Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Resources

The Center for Prevention and Outreach (CPO) is a campus department that provides students and the campus community education, prevention, and outreach services around Mental Health & Suicide Prevention. CPO aims to “Educate, Empower, and Connect.” We educate students on all of our topic areas, we empower students to make healthy decisions and we connect our students not only to each other and our staff but to the campus community and resources.

- Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) 631-632-6720 - Psychological and psychiatric services for Stony Brook University students
- CPO – Depression/Suicide Prevention and Outreach 631-632-2748 - Providing education with an emphasis on prevention and early intervention of depression and suicide
- University Police 911 using an on campus phone or 631-632-3333 from off campus or cell phone - Preserving life, maintaining human rights, protecting property, and promoting individual responsibility and community commitment
Stony Brook University provides students with 24/7 access to no-cost virtual mental health care and on-demand wellness resources through TimelyCare. Licensed mental health providers are available to provide care via phone or secure video to support you with mental health concerns, connecting you with resources, and achieving your health and wellness goals. Register at timelycare.com/stonybrook using your stonybrook.edu email address. To reach a customer service representative, call 833-4-TIMELY. TimelyCare is available from anywhere in the United States, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. For more information about TimelyCare visit this link.
TimelyCare services include:
- TalkNow 24/7, unlimited on-demand access to a mental health professional to talk about anything at anytime;
- Scheduled Counseling with a licensed counselor (up to 9 visits per school year);
- Health Coaching with a nutrition specialist to help students adopt healthier lifestyle behaviors related to sleep, weight management and more;
- Psychiatry Services provided by referral from Counseling Services or your TimelyCare counselor; and
- Group Sessions such as weekly guided meditation, yoga group sessions, and specialized mental health and wellness discussions throughout the year.
Local Helplines and Centers:
- DASH - Diagnostic, Assessment, Stabilization Hub 631-952-3333- 24/7 voluntary program for individuals in crisis
- Response Crisis Center 631-751-7500 - 24 hour crisis intervention hotline and crisis counseling services
- NY Project Hope Call 1-844-863-9314 or visit https://nyprojecthope.org/
National Helplines:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call or Text 988 - 24 hour crisis intervention & support hotline
- The Trevor Project 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386)
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 1-888-333-AFSP (2377)
- Crisis Text Line Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor
- SAMHSA 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
- Veterans Crisis Line Call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 Text 838255
- National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
- National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline 1-866-331-9474
- Girls and Boys Town: 1-800-448-3000
- Covenant House: 1-800-999-9999
Know options for help- CAPS Services, Student Health Services, and CPO Resources all have staff members ready to help students. You might offer one or more of these options as a source of support and even offer to walk there with the person of concern.A suicide threat or other statement indicating a desire or intention to die.
- Change in personality or behavior
- Making arrangements as though for a final departure
- Hopelessness
- Increased drug or alcohol use.
- Taking unnecessary risks/careless behavior/accidents.
- Feelings of overwhelming guilt, shame or self-hatred.
- Fear of losing control, “going crazy,” harming self or others.
- Worry about money or illness (real or imaginary).
- Preoccupation with death and dying.
- Loss of interest in personal appearance
- Express care and concern
  
  If you notice someone exhibiting these behaviors; Discuss specific behaviors- Let the person know you have noticed without blaming or shaming them. (Example: “I noticed the past few times we’ve gone to East Side DIning together with friends, you stay behind and rarely eat. You seem to be sad a lot, too. I’m concerned about you and wanted to see if you wanted to talk.”
If you feel unsure of what to say or how to go about approaching someone who is struggling with their mental health, there are other ways to address the situation.
- Describe your concerns to a trusted professional on campus (RHD, Advisor, Staff, Faculty).
- Call and consult with a counselor at CAPS who can share ideas about how to speak with the person of concern, or help you manage your own stress surrounding the situation.
- Call CAPS crisis line to consult 631-632-6720 (option 2).
Risk factors are characteristics or conditions that increase the chance that a person may try to take their life.
- Diagnosable mental health problem
- Adverse life events, especially significant losses
- Impulsiveness
- Previous Suicide Attempt
- Family violence, including physical or sexual abuse
- Feelings of rage
- Hopelessness
- Feeling like a burden to others
- Family history of suicide
- Family history of mental health or substance abuse problem
- Incarceration
- Exposure to the suicidal behavior of others, including family, peers or through the media.
The grief process for survivors of suicide (those left behind after a friend or a loved one completes suicide) is as difficult as any other loss, with the added challenges associated with common feelings such as confusion, guilt, despair, disbelief, and anger. Some things for survivors to remember are:
- Each person experiences grief in their own way and at their own pace.
- You may feel overwhelmed by the intensity and variety of feelings you are experiencing, which is expected.
- Take one day at a time. You may start to feel more “normal” as your intense emotions settle down. If emotions return like a tidal wave, though it is often a part of the grieving process, it may indicate the need to seek counseling.
Survivors of suicide can find immense benefit in coming together with each other to feel less alone in their grief, to feel support from others who share a similar sense of loss, and to remember the loved one who was lost. Counseling Services can offer support for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has resourcesfor those who have lost a friend or loved one.
- QPR (Question, Persuade,Refer) - SBU's Center for Prevention and Outreach trains students, staff, and faculty to learn how to identify students who are struggling, how to reach out, and how to refer to resources on campus. Training focuses on those who interact regularly with students to spot signs of distress (ex. annual training for RA’s).
- Stony Brook University is a JED Campus - JED Campus program ensures that schools have comprehensive systems in place in order to prioritize student mental health and create positive systemic change in the campus community.
- SBU CARE Team - The CARE Team is a university-based, multidisciplinary team committed to maintaining a safe and secure working and learning environment for Stony Brook University students and our campus community. The CARE Team addresses student behavior that may pose a threat to health and safety or disrupts University activity. The CARE Team responds to reports of these concerns through an individualized, coordinated, and thoughtful process that is intended to gather relevant information and intervene when appropriate.
- The Center for Prevention and Outreach(CPO) explores different narratives that surround collegiate mental health and wellness. Their approach to prevention and outreach is to educate, empower and connect students. It is their continued mission to facilitate connection, foster resilience and heighten self and community awareness in order to dispel myths and misconceptions related to mental health and suicide, empower students to make healthy decisions related to their mental health including reaching out and to utilize the resources at SBU….because it is okay not to be okay, but it is not okay to not get the support we deserve. Throughout the academic year CPO hosts mental health drop in spaces, assessment days, interactive outreach, and large scale events that all engage the community to connect help reduce stigma and educate the campus community Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Awareness.
Learning about yourself is a great first step in changing behavior, attitude and habits. Below are several self assessments that provide you with individualized feedback based on your answers.
- PHQ-9 - The PHQ-9 is a self administered, screening tool for depression. It can help you gain perspective of your mental health, explore whether the things you are feeling could be depression, and provide you with resources that are available. Depression can distort your perspective, and make things seem worse than they actually are, but it is highly treatable. Remember that it is a sign of strength and intelligence to ask for help if you need it.
- PSS- The Perceived Stress Scale is a classic stress assessment instrument. The tool, while originally developed in 1983, remains a popular choice for helping us understand how different situations affect our feelings and our perceived stress. The questions in this scale ask about your feelings and thoughts during the last month. In each case, you will be asked to indicate how often you felt or thought a certain way.
- WHO-5 - The World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index is a short self - reported measure of current mental wellbeing.

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