Educating UO faculty and staff on the warning signs of suicide and how to help students in need will be the topic at two upcoming workshops.

University of Oregon’s Suicide Prevention Team and the University Counseling and Testing Center invite all faculty and staff to two suicide prevention workshops on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday, March 20 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Participants will learn methods for recognizing suicide warning signs and how to effectively intervene to steer at-risk students toward professional help. The Faculty & Staff section of the UCTC website also provides tips on how to help students in distress and how to respond to disruptive or threatening students.

To register for a scheduled workshop, email Suzie Stadelman at sstadelm@uoregon.edu.

Additional one- to two-hour suicide prevention trainings may be scheduled for groups of eight or more by request. One-hour trainings will instruct participants on how to recognize basic warning signs and raise awareness of campus resources. The 90-minute to two-hour sessions focus on more in-depth interaction skills to communicate with students in distress; longer sessions often include role plays that demonstrate effective intervention.

- by Sarah MacKenzie, UO Office of Public Affairs Communications intern