The College of Charleston’s Office of Counseling and Substance Abuse Services (CASAS) has received a $300,000 Campus Suicide Prevention grant from the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The grant will give CASAS approximately $100,000 for the next three years to develop, implement and measure empirically-based suicide prevention initiatives, including becoming certified in and then conducting Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Trainings for the campus and surrounding community partners.
“With the ongoing, perhaps increasing stresses of college students, we must continue to push ourselves to find new and creative ways to extend a life-saving hand to those in need,” explains Frank Budd, CASAS director.
A national survey of college students last year revealed that 45 percent of the nation’s college students reported feeling hopeless at some point in the previous year and 85 percent reported feeling overwhelmed in the past year. The survey went on to show that 30 percent reported they had felt so depressed that it was difficult to function and about one percent considered suicide.
“We are extremely fortunate to have such a caring and committed group of students, Resident Assistants, Greek Life leaders, Cougar Counseling Team, staff and faculty keeping watch and reaching out to those in need of mental health assistance. This grant will allow us to do an even better job,” adds Budd.
