Housatonic offers suicide prevention training
BRIDGEPORT — A local community college is offering suicide prevention training to community college educators and administrators throughout Connecticut.
Housatonic Community College hosted sessions for its faculty, staff and students over the last school year. At the end of June, the college expanded efforts from its city campus to statewide.
“Colleges can offer a mental health safety net for students, as well as its faculty, staff, and the larger community,” said Kim McGinnis, dean of student services. “It is critical that we recognize the signs of suicidal and in- crisis behavior so that we can effectively intervene with life- saving strategies.”
The recent statewide training at Housatonic was taught by Tom Steen, a suicide prevention expert with more than 40 years of training.
Attendees were expected to take new skills back to their own students, faculty, staff and local communities.
“I am gratified that Housatonic has taken the lead in hosting this timely and important training,” said Dwayne Smith, Housatonic’s CEO. “Suicide is a growing concern in the age range of students we serve, so it is critical that our community colleges have the requisite training in this area.”
Future plans include a course on effective and sensitive institutional responses to suicide, and sessions on suicide prevention open to all Housatonic community members this fall.
Suicide is the second highest cause of death among college students, according to the school, which issued a statement on the prevention program.
“As students transition into college life and adulthood they face increased independence, but also greater academic demands, adjustment to a new environment, and the task of developing a new support system,” read the statement.
Loss and isolation related to the pandemic has taken a further toll on mental health.
“We still do have some healing to do, and a lot of that is related to mental health,” Gov. Ned Lamont said last month.
The suicide prevention trainings sessions are funded by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.