Austin college targeted outreach and intervention for mental health, suicide, and substance abuse (act out) - austin college (AC) in sherman, texas is poised to launch a new program, austin college…

Austin college targeted outreach and intervention for mental health, suicide, and substance abuse (act out) - austin college (AC) in sherman, texas is poised to launch a new program, austin college targeted outreach and intervention for mental health, suicide, and substance abuse (act out), to enhance recognition of and response to students at-risk for suicidal thinking or behavior through specialized training and other evidence-based approaches. The program will provide dedicated programming to vulnerable populations within the study body on AC's diverse campus such as minorities (48%), first-generation students (22%), and lgbtq individuals (30% of students utilizing counseling services). In the 2020-21 academic year, AC had an enrollment of 1,294 students. Last year, 25 students identified self-harm as a current problem, compared to only eight the year before. Staggeringly, since 2017, three suicide attempts were made each year and two students committed suicide. With a small student body, these are not merely statistics, but traumatic incidents impacting the entire campus community. The act out program seeks to implement several evidence-based strategies with collaborative partners to better serve the needs of our students, such as: (1) assessing student needs through healthy minds study with systematic data collection and monitoring through medicat; (2) training faculty and students in QPR gatekeeping and mental health first aid; (3) hiring a full-time project coordinator and peer wellness educators to provide outreach and programming; (4) developing culturally sensitive trainings to better serve vulnerable populations; and (5) offering voluntary screenings for depression, anxiety, and risk of substance use disorders. The overarching goals of act out are: (1) to create a campus culture that is inclusive of differences and is sufficiently knowledgeable and culturally sensitive to respond appropriately to a person with a mental health issue; (2) to enhance the network infrastructure by adding referral sources, community members, and stakeholders to create a strong safety net of support for AC's community; and (3) to increase the effectiveness of counseling services to better serve the AC population. The proposal's objectives include adding 25 hours weekly of outreach planning; increasing clinical services by 15 hours weekly; establishing an advisory committee; expanding the network of referral partners by two annually; conducting ongoing assessment; implementing targeted outreach to vulnerable populations; improving cultural competency of faculty and staff; and incorporating mental health education into the required freshman first year experience. AC has a strong foundation from which to launch act out, consisting of an established network of partners working with AC's highly trained and experienced staff. With the award of the proposal, approximately 650 students each year can be served, for a total of 1,950 students benefitting from improved services over the entire grant period.