VolAware Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Initiative

A significant concern over the past ten years has been the increasing number of students with severe psychological problems. A 2004 study shows that, from 1989 to 2002, anxiety disorders doubled and the number of students experiencing depression and seriously contemplating suicide tripled. At UT, we are seeing similar trends among our students - in the increased number of clients at the Counseling Center, the large population of students with mental illness registered with Disability Services, and the growing psychiatric patient list at Student Health Services.

We need your help in identifying students who are at risk, and in ensuring they receive the services they need. I am inviting you to attend an important luncheon presentation on September 30, 2008, 12:00 - 2:00, in the International House Great Room. During the luncheon, you will hear from Dr. Joe Johnson regarding mental health awareness and decreasing the stigma associated with these issues. Staff members from the Dean of Students Office, Counseling Center and SEE Center will conduct valuable QPR+ Gatekeeper training to provide you with the necessary skills to talk with students who may be suicidal. The QPR+ training will also include specific information about our new protocol for helping distressed students.

I am asking that you or a member of your faculty attend this luncheon, and I encourage you to ensure that multiple people in your department receive this valuable QPR+ training at some point early in the fall semester. For more information on how to secure training for the members of your department, contact the Counseling Center at 974-2196.

QPR + and this luncheon are part of the VolAware Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Initiative. As part of National Mental Health Awareness Week, we will have many informative and exciting VolAware activities occurring across campus on October 7th. I am enclosing a flyer from the VolAware committee that reviews creative ways to include these events in your class curriculum.

To RSVP for the luncheon, please contact Sandra Chambers at 974-9344, or schambe3@utk.edu.

Posted September 12, 2008