SPRC Home> SAMHSA Grantees> SAMHSA Campus Suicide Prevention Grantee Technical Assistance Meeting Descriptions

SAMHSA Suicide Prevention Grantee Technical Assistance Meeting
January 8 - 10, 2008
Kansas City, Missouri

Forging Our Legacy:  Creating and Sustaining A Cultural Shift on Campus

Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

Tuesday afternoon block

Using Data to Create Targeted Communication Plans
This session will provide guidance on analyzing campus mental health and suicide data, defining target audiences, and creating measurable communication objectives.  We will incorporate data from several sources, including results of recent student surveys such as The Nature of College Student Suicidal Crises study from the National Research Consortium for Counseling in Higher Education.  Participants will exchange ideas on the creation of communication campaigns, based on the data considered in the session.  Principles of effective communication and social marketing campaigns will also be presented.   Note:  Wednesday morning’s session Implementing and Evaluating Communication Campaigns addresses the next steps in a strategic communication planning process. 

Developing Institutional Protocols to Address Distressed and Distressing Students
Several grantees will present their experiences with developing campus-wide protocols that address student safety, parental notification, and leaves of absence/re-entry.  Using The Jed Foundation’s Framework as a starting point, Dr. Joanna Locke will moderate this slide-free session covering 1) how panelists were able to engage key stakeholders; 2) what outcomes were achieved; and 3) what barriers were faced during the process.  Special emphasis will be placed on tactics for achieving campus-wide collaboration to address students at risk (e.g., case management committees).  Participants will share their experiences and brainstorm next steps for developing or revising protocols on their campuses.

Gatekeeper Training:  What have we learned?
Most grantees are using gatekeeper or natural helper activities as an essential part of their approach. This workshop is an opportunity for all participants to consider and weigh in on the following questions: What are we learning in our individual grant programs, and, collectively, about gatekeeping? How have we overcome barriers, incorporated changes, modified our approach, or communicated about gatekeeping to stakeholders? What are the issues program staff and evaluators have faced in measuring outcomes of training with different audiences? And how can we best use these lessons to improve our programs, promote youth suicide prevention, and sustain our programs?

Coping with Increases in Requests for Help
Session description pending.

Involving Key Partners On and Off Campus
Developing partnerships and collaboration is a key ingredient for suicide prevention program planning and sustainability.  This session will explore the key partners on and off campus that grantees have identified in their work.  We will discuss both the challenges and successes in developing relationships with these partners.  Grantees will present in this session to address working with statewide initiatives, community resources, and religious leaders.
Note:  A session dedicated to Working with Faculty will be held on Wednesday, 10am-12pm.

Using Cross-site Data at the Local Level
As a follow-up to Chad Lodi’s overview of cross-site data, this session will provide useful strategies for project staff to utilize cross-site data at the local level.  Presenters will illustrate key findings, demonstrate how the cross-site instruments and data can identify campus successes and potential areas for future programming around suicide prevention (e.g., lessons that can be learned from SPEAKS data, MIS, EDI - where/how to access data).  The session will also include a facilitated discussion among participants about specific areas of their suicide prevention programs and how cross-site data may be helpful in identifying attributes to be expanded on in those program areas.

Wednesday morning block

Implementing and Evaluating Communication Campaigns
How are colleges and universities contributing to the field of suicide prevention?  This session will bring program personnel and evaluators together for a discussion of effective communication planning and evaluation.  It will explore:  message development and testing; choosing and evaluating methods and channels of communication; when and how to incorporate evaluation into communication planning; and effective methods for measuring the effectiveness of communication efforts, especially behavioral impact. Note: This session builds on Tuesday afternoon’s Using Data to Create Targeted Communication Plans, but the Tuesday session is not a prerequisite. 

Increasing Help-Seeking Among Students of Color
In this session, a grantee will show a film LOST & FOUND: a college story (you don’t have to be crazy to go to counseling) and describe the impact such a film can have on help-seeking by African American students.  Other grantees will describe efforts to engage Native American students and the diverse student populations of two urban institutions.  Lessons that can be applied to outreach efforts with minority students on any campus will be discussed, and participants will be invited to share their own experiences, successes, and challenges.

Screening:  What have we learned?
Many grantees are using screening activities as an essential part of their approach. Dr. Mort Silverman will provide an overview of the state of the research on screening and then facilitate a discussion giving all participants an opportunity to consider and weigh in on the following questions:  What are we learning in our individual grant programs, and collectively, about screening? How have we overcome barriers, incorporated changes, modified our approach, or communicated about screening to stakeholders? How can we best use these lessons to improve our programs, promote youth suicide prevention and sustain our programs?  

Staying Current with Best Practices:  The Best Practices Registry & NREPP will explore concepts and tools related to best practices and evidence-based programs in suicide prevention work. The presenters will provide an overview of SPRC/AFSP’s Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention and SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices and describe how to submit applications to these registries. The session will include interactive discussion among participants about the concept of “evidence-based prevention” and its implications for prevention work, considerations for choosing and/or adapting best practices, how to ensure individual practices fit into a comprehensive program, use of best practice criteria for program improvement, and leveraging best practices for sustainability.

Peer Programs:  Applications, Outcomes, and Challenges
Students are taking on many positions within suicide prevention on college campuses, as hotline counselors, educators, and advocates.  They play an important role in promoting social networks and increasing partnerships on campus, both of which are essential components for creating a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention.  However, despite widespread implementation of such programs, there is limited research addressing the effectiveness of these strategies.  Alison Malmon of Active Minds on Campus will co-facilitate this session with grantees to explore the successes, challenges, and limitations of peer education programs.

Working with Faculty
Faculty members are key partners on campus who assist in identifying students at risk and referring them to mental health services.  However, these collaborators are often identified as a “hard to reach” group.  This session will explore why it has been so difficult to access and gain support from faculty.   Grantees will discuss several practical strategies that have been effective in engaging and utilizing faculty in campus suicide prevention.

 

Wednesday afternoon block

Making Data Count:  Marketing to Key Stakeholders
Data on the scope of mental health problems and suicidal behavior can help draw collaborators together and enlist the support of senior administrators.  Effective program evaluation reports can be powerful tools for sustaining campus suicide prevention efforts.  This session will cover how communication and marketing can be used to persuade key stakeholders to support your goals and sustain the outcomes your programs are achieving.  Participants will identify critical stakeholders and discuss how to translate evaluation findings so that they are clear and meaningful to each specific partner. Participants will also discuss the challenges of communicating data, attaining senior administration buy-in, and brainstorm effective strategies to overcome these challenges.

We’re there if you need us:  Families Supporting Students
Families play an important role in promoting mental health and preventing suicide.  This session will first explore effective ways to work with parents to help them understand the student experience and be alert to signs that their student is under significant stress, is taking unhealthy risks, or is ill.  Marjorie Savage, Parent Program Director at the University of Minnesota, will describe the extensive outreach program at her institution, offer desired outcomes for parent involvement, and facilitate a discussion of key principles for parent outreach programs.  For older students, spouses may be the primary source of support, so we will also broaden the discussion to cover outreach to families.

A Cultural Shift:  Changing Perceptions and Attitudes about Mental Health and Suicide
What are attitudes and perceptions?  Where do they come from and how do they affect behavior and/or behavior change?  What are our (community, staff, faculty, students) current perceptions regarding mental health and suicide?  This session will explore (1) methods that have the potential to change attitudes and perceptions, (2) examples of campuses who are implementing these methods, and (3) discussion regarding how these strategies differ from traditional health education/service delivery models. The session will also cover the evaluation of attitude and perception changes.  Macro International will discuss how SPEAKS data may be used to measure a cultural shift on campus.

Building Long-Term Support for Suicide Prevention:  Finding and Obtaining Financial Support
The challenge of creating a new prevention program is difficult enough, even with ample seed money. Sustaining support for the program over time, once a start-up grant has ended, can be even harder.  This session will explore actions that grantees can take to develop long-term administrative and financial support for suicide prevention.  We’ll discuss ways to increase a program's survival chances and describe possible funding sources to replace a start-up grant or seed money.  Participants will develop a concept and next steps for finding funding in this session.

Preparing Your Story for Publication in Peer-reviewed Journals:  Working Session
This workshop will address issues relevant to publishing one’s findings in a journal specific to the study of suicidology. The topic content will cover factors that are considered in the “fit” of the manuscript to the journal; factors that increase likelihood of acceptance or rejection; identifying appropriate journals for your work; etiquette for correspondence between author and editors; special issues to consider in suicide-related research (e.g., definition of terms, documenting ethical considerations); and questions from participants.

Evaluation Open Q&A will provide program evaluators and others with an opportunity to raise and discuss unresolved evaluation issues. The facilitators and participants will address questions such as measurement of program outcomes, relationship of local and cross-site evaluation, and linking evaluation with sustainability. 

Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

 

Last Updated on: January 28, 2008