campus suicide prevention center of virginia - home

crisis text line (opens new window)

988 suicide and crisis lifeline (opens new window)

Treatment Information

Prevention and Treatment of Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among College Students, 2021 (PDF/20.9 Megabytes)
Provided by SAMHSA, this guide focuses on educating college personnel, clinicians, and practitioners about strategies for screening and treating anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among transition-aged college students (18-24 years old). The guide presents five evidence-based programs and practices (including gatekeeper trainings, mindfulness-based stress reduction, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy) that address the prevention and treatment of these common mental health concerns.

Mental Health Task Forces in Higher Education, 2020 (PDF/3.2 Megabytes)
This report used the methods of comparative analysis and then qualitative analysis to identify common themes across 16 reports from higher education mental health task forces between 2010 and 2019. The report summarizes themes that more prominently address mental health in students. Observations and insights identified during the analysis are also included in each section.

Treatment for Suicidal Ideation, Self-harm, and Suicide Attempts Among Youth, 2020 (PDF/21.1 Megabytes)
The goal of this guide is to provide interventions to treat for suicidal ideation, self-harm, and suicide attempts among youth. It provides research on implementation and examples of the ways that these recommendations can be implemented.

College Counseling from a Distance: Deciding Whether and When to Engage in Telemental Health Services, 2019 (PDF/1.62 Megabytes)
This guide outlines the potential benefits, limitations, and legal and ethical concerns regarding telemental health services in the field of college student mental health. It also aids mental health professionals who serve college students and higher education administrators in engaging in dialogue about these benefits, limitations, and concerns in order to make informed decisions about if, when, and to whom telemental health services should be provided.

Screening for Suicide Risk During Telehealth Visits (PDF/.228 Megabytes)
Provided by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, this guide provides recommendations to assist telehealth clinicians in screening for suicide and depression, the protocols that should be in place for when a client screens positive for suicide (including minors), the use of asynchronous screening tools, and liability.

NaBITA Risk Rubric, 2019 (PDF/.372 Megabytes)
From the National Behavioral Intervention Team Association or NaBITA, this research-based tool can be used for the preliminary assessment of mental health distress and possible threat. It assists in determining the level of attention and intervention a student may need. The rubric can be accessed online (opens new window). If you're new to the NaBITA Risk Rubric this supplemental flowchart (PDF/.388 Megabytes) may help. For information on the use and application of the rubric in higher education institutions read The NaBITA 2019 Whitepaper-College and University Edition (PDF/.744 Megabytes).

Psychological Approaches to Suicide Treatment and Prevention, 2015 (opens new window)
This article looks at the psychological methods for treating suicidality within the field of clinical suicidolgy. The article focuses on two major areas within the field: The first being treatments that, through randomized controlled trials, have shown to be effective for treating suicidality and the second area being new brief suicide-specific treatments.

The Implementation of Mental Health Clinical Triage Systems in University Health Services, 2006 (opens new window)
This article outlines the processes and procedures involved in developing and implementing a clinical triage system through the perspectives of two sites. Issues addressed include how a mental health service moves to the utilization of a clinical triage system, the processes and components involved in the successful transition to a clinical triage system, the impact on the campus, and a discussion of the risk management implications of implementing a clinical triage system. The article can be accessed through institutional log in, or it can be purchased for $47.00.

The Coalition of Clinician Survivors (opens new window)
Formerly known as the "American Association of Suicidology Clinician Survivor Task Force", The Coalition of Clinician Survivors provides resources, support, consultation, and education to mental health and other professional caregivers who have suffered a loss by suicide of either a professional or personal nature.

The Columbia Lighthouse Project (opens new window)
Formerly called the Center for Suicide Risk Assessment, this website is dedicated to raising awareness about and implementation of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale or C-SSRS. The site offers background and development information, training, and research.

Patient Safety Plan Template (PDF/.089 Megabytes)
This is a safety plan template from the Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention, but it is distributed by other groups. The Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention (opens new window) is a brief evidence-based collaboration between a clinician and a suicidal individual with the goal of reducing acute risk. For more information on safety planning, read this article: Safety Planning Intervention: A Brief Intervention to Mitigate Suicide Risk (opens new window)

Additional Safety Plan Templates:

A Personal Safety Plan (PDF/.274 Megabytes)

Oh #@!%, I'm Going Down (PDF/.296 Megabytes)

My Safety Plan (opens new window)

Triage Webinar:

Intake Assessments - Melinda Fox, James Madison University, 2009 (PDF/.748 Megabytes)

Eliminating the Waitlist - Warrenetta Mann, Psy.D., The College of William and Mary (PDF/.246 Megabytes)