Each week, counselors at the Northwest Vista College Student Advocacy & Resource Center work with students struggling with mental health issues including students with thoughts of suicide which has become all too common.
Counselors provide crisis intervention support and for students unable to keep themselves safe – this includes temporary hospitalization. Building mental health awareness at NVC is crucial for all students but especially for those struggling in this way.
NVC Student Advocacy Director Lisa Black said these are just the students they “know” who have reached out for help. In fact, suicide in Texas is a pressing public health concern. Since the year 2000, Texas has seen an overall increase in suicide mortality with the death rate rising 36.7 percent. Individuals ages 25-29 saw the greatest increase of any age group with a 69 percent increase in suicide mortality rate, closely followed by individuals ages 20-24 with an increase of 56.9 percent. The suicide mortality rate for veterans aged 18-34 rose 91.6 percent between 2001 and 2019, making it the highest rate for the veteran population.
The escalating prevalence of mental health struggles among young adults underscores the importance of early intervention and campus-based mental health services, which can provide life-saving support.
According to the Healthy Minds Study conducted in the winter of 2022 at NVC, 66% of student who responded reported needing help for emotional or mental health problems or challenges such as feeling sad, blue, anxious or nervous in the last 12 months. Eighty-three percent of students reported currently needing help for emotional or mental health problems or challenges such as feeling sad, blue, anxious or nervous in the last 12 months.
NVC’s transition to officially recognizing Mental Health Awareness in October instead of May acknowledges the unique needs of our student body. While May is nationally recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, it coincides with the end of the academic year, when students are often preoccupied with finals and summer transitions. Shifting the focus to October allows employees to reach students when they are fully immersed in the semester, helping them manage stress and promoting proactive mental health care during a critical time in the academic calendar.
To help students with mental health awareness, events are planned from Sept. 30 to Oct. 31.
“This shift helps us work in collaboration with other departments and programs across campus to impact the largest number of students when they are actually on campus,” Lisa said. “October is a better time to do that.”
The NVC Advocacy Center is collaborating with the NVC student club, Active Minds, the NVC Library, the Peace Center at NVC, and the NVC Psychology and NVC Fine Arts students to host six events. Some of the events planned include a chalk-art display from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, during which the bridge between Juniper and Live Oak Halls will be adorned with positive mental health sayings. Other events planned include a Spa Day and a free Scholastic Book Fair where students can choose a self-help book.
Also, this semester, the NVC Advocacy Center launched an agreement with University of Texas Healthy Science Center placing psychiatric nurse practitioners on campus at the Advocacy Center to support students who need access to mental health medications but may be uninsured or underinsured. This is the first time NVC will have access to this critical resource. Students interested should stop by the Advocacy Center (Room 100) to request an appointment.
Another way the NVC Advocacy Center has been tackling the growing number of students struggling with thoughts of suicide is by offering free Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) for employees and students. This “CPR” for mental health provides the confidence and competence for supporting students to get them to the help they need. The Advocacy Center also has trained and licensed staff that provide skills coaching, short-term individual counseling, crisis Intervention, and community referrals. To learn more about their services, go here.
In addition to the NVC Advocacy Center, the Alamo Colleges District recently partnered with Timely Care, which provides free, virtual mental health counseling to all enrolled students. The process to sign-up for TimelyCare takes just a few minutes and students can be quickly connected with a therapist who can meet with them virtually during hours that college is closed.
Below is the list of events planned for Mental Health Awareness in October.
1. Let’s Chalk About Mental Health
Date: 9/30 – 10/2
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Sidewalk between and around Juniper, Library, the lake
Organizers: NVC Mental Health Month Committee, Active Minds (Student Org), Art Club
2. Mental Health Scholastic Book Fair
Date: 10/9 – 10/10
Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: CESC
Organizers: Advocacy, STEMPlus, Active Minds
3. Honoring Heritage: Dia De Los Muertos Wisdom of Elders
Date: 10/16
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Innovation Center
Organizers: Active Minds (Student Org)
4. Stress Less: Spa Day
Date: 10/22
Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Advocacy Center, PH120
Organizers: Advocacy Center, Active Minds
5. Ofrenda Making Event
Date: 10/30
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: PH120
Organizers: Active Minds (Student Org)
6. Spooky Tote Bag Painting Event (Non-Mental Health Related)
Date: 10/31
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: PH120
Organizers: Active Minds (Student Org)
If you or you know a student in crisis, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or text “HELLO” to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. For immediate assistance, dial 911.
