College Hope Squad: A Peer-to-Peer Suicide Prevention Program Ohio Program for Campus Safety and Mental Health Conference May 21, 2019

Relevant Program Learning Objectives Identify strategies to collaborate and engage student groups on campus Describe the comprehensive approach to suicide prevention with student peers, and promoting a successful stigma reduction campaign

College/University Suicide According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center suicide is a leading cause of death among college students https://www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/migrate/library/SuicideAmongCollegeStudentsInUS.pdf Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults. Risk Factors Protective Factors Behavioral health and substance abuse problems Positive mood/thinking Social alienation, Loneliness Desire to finish school/future goals Academic problems Internal locus of control Financial problems Problem-solving skills Sleep problems Social Support Lack of support Supportive and Inclusive peer mentoring environment Change of role (from child to adult) stressors Access to effective mental health care

What is suicide, really? Emotional pain caused by a variety of factors, but not necessarily always mental health disorders (although this can be one reason) Pain is considered irreversible Problems do not seem to have a solution Often people do not want to “burden others” and will try to live with the pain until their strength is gone People who are suicidal don’t want to die, they just want the pain to go away

What is emotional pain? The tangled necklace Strength gives out (sad, hopeless) (frustration, aggravation) Strength gives out

One way to address suicide on your campus…

What is a Hope Squad? A peer-to-peer, school-based, suicide prevention program Students are nominated (in college, recruited) to do intentional outreach and school-wide education and support for peers in distress Overseen and supported by trusted adult mentors comprised of faculty and staff at the school/college Curriculum consists of nine modules (next slide) developed by national experts in suicide prevention Curriculum is delivered in a group setting with advisors

Why Hope Squad? Young people are more likely to tell each other about their despair instead of an adult or a going to a professional This continues because Peers are usually untrained in what to do The culture of a school/community often feels stigmatizing Hope Squads exist to identify despair and shepherd someone to safety and to change the culture of their school https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf79_YZ2rkk&t=40s

Why start a Hope Squad at a college/university? Flexibility in the model to implement at the college level College Hope Squad curriculum Students feel more disconnected in college than at lower grades Hope Squads can work directly with counseling services, faculty, and staff to work toward a changed culture and student safety from suicide

Starting a Hope Squad with college modifications Recruitment instead of nominations

Hope Squad college curriculum, Year 1 Phase 1: QPR Phase 5: How to communicate effectively about suicide Phase 2: Becoming part of a Hope Squad Phase 6: Boundaries and Self-Care Phase 3: How to notice signs of suicidal intent Phase 7: Sexual Assault and Rape Phase 4: How to help a peer Phase 8: Understanding the Grief Process

Who are Hope Squad advisors? Faculty and Staff who volunteer their time to mentor and support the Hope Squad students Recruited by those organizing Hope Squad on campus For a small university, it could be folks from CAPS and a few others For a larger university, it may be folks from different programs throughout the campus Advisors meet with the Hope Squad members regularly to deliver the curriculum, role play, debrief, and support

Who are the Hope Squad members? Students with natural helping skills and who take the mission seriously Students with natural resilience and a passion for suicide prevention (or willingness to get trained and volunteer time) Students who will commit to the required training and activity time

What do the Hope Squad members do? They use their radars for suicide risk factors and warning signs to identify peers in distress They do intentional outreach They provide education and awareness raising activities for their campus They engage other students in the mission of saving lives

Are Hope Squads effective? Data collection and research Pre- and Post- Surveys Significant improvements in knowledge and skills Low burnout rates Suicide concern contact data Hope Squad students are referring 25%-30% of students in distress in year 1 As the culture of a school/campus changes over time, HS referrals go down, and self-referrals and non-HS student referrals go up Current research studies and results Utah- students more likely in Hope Squad schools to seek help from trusted adults Just completed year 1 of a comparison trial

Matriculation in Ohio Your Ohio campuses could have matriculating Hope Squad members This could be a resource to leverage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsP1vFpsW98

Questions? Jennifer Wright-Berryman, PhD Assistant Professor of Social Work and National Lead Researcher, Hope Squad Program Director of Data and Analytics, Grant Us Hope wrigh2jb@ucmail.uc.edu