Counseling and Career Services Offer ASIST

Toni Steffens-Steward
The Paw Print

Counseling and Career Services at Adams State College offers a variety of programs to help students be successful in their college experience and outside of their educational pursuits.
Services offered include career, counseling and prevention through the department to help and encourage students. This year Laurel Carter was brought into the department as the suicide prevention outreach coordinator.
Her position is funded through a three year Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant. They are also able to offer Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) training through the grant to students, faculty and the surrounding community. Training is available to students at the cost of supplies, which is $35 for each participant.
Carter says that she is interested in working with clubs on campus to increase awareness and involve students. ASIST training can help students and others by providing tools to use when dealing with a person who is contemplating suicide. They learn steps that can help prevent the immediate risk.
Once the immediate risk has been handled the person can be lead to the appropriate resources for further treatment, support and/or care. At Adams State the next step would likely be Carter or Director of the Counseling and Career Center, Gregg Elliott.
Suicide prevention is not just up to those who have completed the training. Everyone can be aware of those living, working and studying around him or her.
Carter says that she “encourages people to follow their gut,” when deciding if it is time to contact the center about themselves or someone else. She does not want anyone to second-guess him or herself.
Once Carter receives information that someone is concerned with a student she will respond in a way that is appropriate to the report. She may send out a friendly email check in from Counseling Services. If she does not receive a response she may try harder to contact the person, but ultimately her response would depend on the seriousness of the report. She may recommend counseling, but there are other resources available to students as well.
Elliott says that people should “contact us as soon as they’re concerned about someone else.” The main thing that he recommends being aware of is when people are off of their “baseline.” They may be eating more or less than usual or experience a major change in their sleep habits; they may be falling asleep in class or otherwise have a change in their behavior.
Counseling is available to all ASC students and their immediate family. The primary counselors for the service are graduate students in the Counseling program at the college. Other resources are also available to the students and more information on any of the programs including suicide prevention and outreach is available by calling the center at 587-7746.