UW Gatekeepers Training Sessions Offered This Spring

The University of Wyoming Counseling Center is offering Gatekeepers training sessions this spring to educate students, staff and faculty members about the importance of suicide awareness and prevention.

The goal is to promote help-seeking behaviors and reduce the stigma of seeking care for mental and behavioral health problems.

“Gatekeeper training is about talking to someone in crisis and getting them connected with help,” says Eirin Grimes, a mental health counselor at the UW Counseling Center. “The training is geared toward talking to college students who might be experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts, but really the training could be applicable in a variety of situations where students are in significant emotional pain.”

Each two-hour training session will define warning signs and risks of suicide; define protective factors against suicide; and provide resources and skills to make a referral to a professional.

Training session times and locations are:

Tuesday, March 3, 3-5 p.m. -- Room 203 in the Wyoming Union.

Thursday, April 16, 9-11 a.m. -- Room 221A in the Wyoming Union.

The trainings are open to all interested students, staff, faculty and community members. To register, email the UW Counseling Center at uccstaff@uwyo.edu or call (307) 766-2187.