In addition to listening, learning, and reflecting on your awareness of mental health topics and working to challenge stigma surrounding mental health, this month provides an opportunity to look for ways to turn awareness into action to support one another.  

Here are three actions you can take during Suicide Prevention Month to support mental health on campus:  

1. Know how to support a friend

Students can take the new Recognize, Respond, Refer: Suicide Prevention Training for Students—now available on Canvas 

78% of UW-Madison students would talk to a peer if they were struggling with their mental health (Healthy Minds Survey, 2022). This new, online training launched September 2023 and gives students some tools and resources to better support their peers. Learn about the role of peers in recognizing warning signs, responding supportively, and referring to mental health and crisis support resources. 

The training takes one hour, and students can start, stop, and revisit the training as many times as they want. 

A version of this training is also available to faculty and staff. 

2. Learn about the variety of campus mental health care options 

No-cost, confidential mental health services are available to UW-Madison students 

University Health Services offers no-cost mental health services to all UW-Madison students, including individual counseling, group counseling, psychiatry services, and more, so students have access to the care they need. 

An Access Appointment is the first step in getting care—an access specialist will work with you to better understand your needs and help connect you with mental health care providers on or off campus. There are also on-campus services available without an appointment, including group counseling and Let’s Talk sessions, which are informal drop-in consultations with a counselor.

3. Keep help on hand

Resources and support are available 24/7 

Crisis support is also available by phone and text. Add these important numbers to your phone contacts so you have them if you need them: 

• University Health Services has a mental health crisis line that is available 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 608-265-5600 (option 9).
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides nationwide, 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, support and resources for people supporting a loved one in crisis. Call or text 988.
• Crisis Text Line provides 24/7 text support from trained volunteer crisis counselors. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor.

Download the new BadgerSAFE app for quick access to many on-campus resources, including Mental Health, Survivor Services, Prevention Services, Veteran Services, and the Dean of Students Office. From the app’s home page, click on the “Support Resources” tile to connect to these resources.

As campus activities return to full swing, UHS recognizes that the month of September not only heralds a new semester, but also brings awareness to an important topic – suicide prevention. Suicide Prevention Awareness Month provides a dedicated time for our campus community to come together with collective compassion and commitment to learn more about suicide prevention and consider opportunities to support one another. Throughout the year, UHS and campus colleagues continue the work around preventing suicide and supporting student mental health.

Below are some key updates about suicide prevention efforts on campus. For questions on these initiatives and information on engaging with this work, email suicideprevention@uhs.wisc.edu.

Get Involved with Suicide Prevention Training

UHS offers online suicide prevention training developed specifically for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff. We encourage all members of our campus community to participate in these educational opportunities. According to campus research, nearly half of students report receiving mental health support from their friends. The Suicide Prevention Training for UW-Madison Students teaches students how to intervene and offer support for their friends and peers. Recognize, Respond, Refer: Online Suicide Prevention Training for Faculty and Staff provides a valuable guide for having conversations about suicide and can also increase instructors’ confidence in talking with students about mental health. Both trainings are available through Canvas and are self-guided –learners can start, stop, and revisit portions of the training at any time. In total, the online trainings take about an hour to complete and are the first step towards supporting student mental health and preventing suicide.

University Health Services Awarded SAMHSA Grant

The UHS Prevention team was awarded the Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Campus Suicide Prevention Grant by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This grant allows UHS to continue expanding suicide prevention programming and engage the entire campus community in supporting students’ mental health during the next three years. UW-Madison is one of 22 colleges and universities in the country to be awarded a federal GLS grant this year.

Local and National Resources are Available for Mental Health Support

After years of advocacy and preparation, 988 is now available nationwide as a new number to contact for mental health, substance use and suicide crises —a simple, easy-to-remember way for people to get help. The previously used 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (1-800-273-8255) will not go away; it will route callers to the 988 Lifeline network. When calling or texting 988, people are connected with the Lifeline’s network of trained counselors who can help address immediate needs and connect to ongoing support.

UHS Mental Health Services continues to provide 24/7 crisis support to UW-Madison students, including consultation for those supporting a student in distress. The UHS Mental Health Crisis Support Line is staffed 24/7 by licensed professionals. The crisis line can be reached at 608-265-5600 Option 9.

There are five core modules: Foundations, Recognize, Respond, Refer, and Re-Engage. Each module builds important skills for intervening and provides examples to help faculty and staff understand what to do when a student is experiencing mental distress. When taken together, the modules provide a valuable guide for having conversations about suicide and can also increase instructors’ confidence in talking with students about mental health. The training is self-guided – learners can start, stop, and revisit portions of the training at any time. In total, the training takes about an hour to complete. 

“Faculty are encountering more and more students in our classrooms who need mental health support,” says Randy Stoecker, Professor in Community and Environmental Sociology. “This training is helpful not only for engaging with students experiencing suicidal thoughts but also with the students dealing with the anxiety, depression, and other mental health traumas of living in this time and place.” 

You do not need to be an expert to notice the warning signs of a mental health crisis and act. Some of the most important relationships UW-Madison students have on campus include faculty and staff mentors, supervisors, advisors, and instructors. National data shows that 16 percent of students report having already talked with academic personnel about mental health impacting their academics. 

“We encourage all faculty and staff to participate in the training and share this opportunity with colleagues,” said Valerie Donovan, UHS Population Health Manager. “We value faculty and staff partnership in campus-wide prevention efforts, and this training provides an important overview of strategies and resources that we all can use to support UW-Madison students and prevent suicide.” 

“I found the suicide prevention training to be applicable for all student populations,” says Elaine Goetz-Berman, Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist in the Dean of Students Office. “Anybody who works directly with students should take this training is order to feel best equipped to have difficult conversations should it ever come up, and also because it helps to create a caring community on campus.” 

The training does not offer immediate support or services to those in distress. Instead, it prepares faculty and staff to be better able to support students in the future. If you are in crisis, call the UHS 24-hour crisis line at 608-265-5600 (option 9) or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255. 

Suicide Prevention Training for UW-Madison Students is also available in Canvas. This training has been available to students since Fall 2019. 

Questions can be directed to suicideprevention@uhs.wisc.edu