What We Do

Campus Connect Suicide Prevention

USF's Collaborative Suicide Prevention Training for Gatekeepers

What can we do when someone's behavior or statements worry us?

It might be scary to ask if someone is considering suicide because we are fearful of what to say.
College students experience significant levels of stress, anxiety and depression that may contribute to thoughts of suicide. It's possible you will have a conversation about the topic with someone you know and love.

  • National data shows that nearly 80 percent of college students who ended their lives never sought assistance at the campus counseling center. (Brownson, Denmark & Smith, 2009).
  • The new data should read: At USF 10 percent seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months and 2 percent attempted in the past 12 months (NCHA, 2018).
  • In addition, 65.1 percent of USF undergraduate students said they want information on how to help others in distress, and 48.5 percent are interested in receiving information specific to suicide prevention.

What is Campus Connect?

Campus Connect is a suicide prevention program that trains you to:

  • Listen for invitations to help
  • Recognize warning signs
  • Ask of someone is thinking of suicide
  • Connect someone to life-saving resources

Who can sign up for the training?

Anyone at the USF Tampa campus can sign up for training. This includes students, staff, faculty organizations, academic and student affairs departments. You may sign up as an individual, or with a group.

What can I expect during training?

A 2.5-hour training that includes:

  • Interactive scenarios,
  • Hands on skill-building, and
  • Active listening development.

How can I get more information?

To learn more about upcoming training dates or to schedule a Campus Connect training for your group please email: campusconnect@usf.edu 

Drum, D.J., Brownson, C., Denmark, A.B., & Smith, S. (2009). New Data on the Nature of Suicidal Crises in College Students: Shifting the Paradigm, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40 (3), 213-222.
Retrieved from NABITA.