The College of William & Mary has received a $235,000 federal grant that will help the college promote mental health on campus.
The grant, funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), was given to the Division of Student Affairs. It supports specific activities selected or designed by the college, including the use of an avatar-based training program for faculty and students and outreach to local mental health providers through network meetings and seminars.
“We want to work with people across the campus as well as with our partners in the community to deliver the message that suicide prevention is a shared responsibility,” said Virginia Ambler, vice president for student affairs. “Every one of us has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life.”
William & Mary received national attention when three students committed suicide in 2010. In February, the body of freshman Troy Pelish was found in his residence hall room, following an apparent suicide. Since then, the college has placed more attention on suicide prevention.
The college follows the recommendations of the Suicide Prevention Center and the JED Foundation, which include identifying at-risk students, increasing help-seeking behavior, providing strong mental health services, developing and following crisis management protocols, helping students develop healthy life skills and promoting meaningful social networks.
The grant activities are designed to provide additional outreach about the risk factors and warning signs of suicide, and how to get help for those who need it. The college will seek to reduce stigma associated with seeking care, and will promote the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The project will be led by Senior Assistant Dean and Director of Health Promotion Donna Haygood-Jackson and the Office of the Dean of Students, but will be a collaboration with other campus offices, including the Counseling Center, Health Promotion, the Center for Student Diversity and Undergraduate Studies. Student organizations, including Health Outreach Peer Educators (HOPE), the W&M chapter of Active Minds and the Student Assembly, will help with the effort.
