Suicide Prevention Task Force
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The FSU Suicide Prevention Task Force (SPTF) is a group of staff, faculty and students who work together to promote awareness and understanding of mental health issues in our community. The SPTF is guided by the work of the JED Foundation's Campus Program Framework, which provides recommendations for improving mental health awareness and suicide prevention efforts on college campuses.
The SPTF works to increase knowledge about warning signs of suicide and emotional distress, foster help-seeking behaviors, and facilitate the adoption and maintenance of comprehensive, community based initiatives to reduce and prevent suicide in the FSU community.
The SPTF has secured two grants from the Metro West Health Foundation in recent years. The first grant provided training for facilitators of the Campus Connect suicide prevention model as well as a training for SPTF members on post-vention planning and intervention. The second grant provided training to the FSU Counseling Center staff on facilitating Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills groups.
The SPTF has also identified and addressed several suicide prevention/mental health awareness initiatives. These include:
- Coordinating an annual FSU Health Fair to promote mental health awareness and interpersonal connection on and off campus
- Producing and distributing a 24/7 crisis phone and/or chat line posters
- Advocating for an FSU Medical Amnesty Policy and facilitated campus awareness of such policy
- Providing Campus Connect suicide prevention training to any FSU group
- Assisting with the development of a Student Assistance Team
- Completing an environmental scan for potential access to lethal means on and around campus, and made recommendations to FSU administration
- Facilitating the placement of 24/7 crisis information signage on a walking bridge over Route 9 (adjacent to campus and used by many students and others) that had been identified as a potentially high risk area, working collaboratively with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and other local service providers.
Suicide prevention training is available to any FSU community group who want to be trained using the Campus Connect suicide prevention model. For more information about this training or the FSU Suicide Prevention Task Force, please contact Andrew Lipsky, LICSW, Director, FSU Counseling Center, 508-626-4640.