BSU and SPARC help to raise awareness for Suicide Prevention

By: Genesis Moon

BSU and SPARC held events on campus in September to raise awareness of suicide prevention in the Black community.

These events coincided with National Suicide Prevention Month.

“I wasn’t expecting that many people to show up, but we had so many people from both clubs BSU and SPARC come,” BSU and SPARC president Asiayonna Jones said. The events were organized with the help of the Wellness Office.

The talks emphasized the need to recognize a mental health crisis and ask for help.

The college has proactively advertised its mental health resources on campus and in the community to students through social media, print materials and emails. Some of the resources provided on campus are Hood Counseling services, which has walk-in hours from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

While Hood College’s counselor John Slick will be leaving on Sept. 29, this will not affect the existing clients in the counseling services as they have been referred to the Neighborhood Counseling Training Center or community mental health providers. Future patients can still get counseling during the walk-in hours.

Upcoming events include National Depression Screening Day on Oct. 7, in which the Wellness Office and the Neighborhood Counseling Training Center will offer mental health screenings,  The Wellness Office is also planning several trainings on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The first, on Oct. 17, will focus on mental health first aid training, and on Nov. 3 the session will focus on suicide prevention. In October also will be a suicide prevention walk in Baker Park.

The College is in the process of trying to fill two counseling positions. Candidates for a new director of counseling services on campus Sept. 15-21. Counseling Services is also accepting applications for the mental health counselor role to replace the Slick.

As suicide prevention month continues there are many resources out there to reach out to if you are going through a challenging time. “You don’t have to struggle alone. Asking for help can be hard, but there are people here who care about you and would love to help,” Amanda Dymek, director of Wellness said.

Counseling services at Hood are free. Help is also available at the Mental Health Association of Fredrick County and at the 24-hour National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which can be reached at 988.