Student Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Plan

As members of the Lafayette College community, you are an integral part of creating a culture that cares about the mental health and well-being of one another. We recognize that you will have many different roles, responsibilities and experiences as a student, and that this can cause stress and at times distress during your time in college. We strive to ensure that you know the resources available to you in times of need.

Recognizing Distress

First-year students, resident advisors and extended orientation advisors complete a mental health training annually. We strongly encourage all members of our campus community to utilize this resource to increase their preparedness and confidence in talking about mental health and suicide prevention.

Signs that indicate you should reach out or share that a student is struggling:

  • Not going to class
  • Sleeping too much or too little
  • Fatigue or excess energy
  • Marked changes in personal hygiene
  • Extreme mood changes or disproportionate emotional responses
  • Frequent crying, overwhelming anxiety or agitation
  • Dramatic weight loss or gain and/or preoccupation with food, weight, or body image 
  • Confused thoughts, disorganized speech, or bizarre behavior indicating loss of contact with reality
  • Aggressive or threatening behavior
  • Alcohol-related consequences such as vomiting or blacking out
  • Cuts or burns on their body

Signs that indicate someone might be considering suicide:

  • Expressions of hopelessness about the future, or being able to change or improve
  • Expressions of being a burden to friends, family, the college
  • Difficulty connecting with others or isolating from friends and family
  • Expressions of overwhelming guilt or shame 
  • Physical signs that they have cut or injured themselves
  • Giving away possessions
  • Talking about “if/when I’m gone….”
  • Detaching from responsibilities and routine

If you notice these signs in yourself or someone else, we encourage you to take action by following these steps to help a peer in distress and accessing the many resources available to you. 

Crisis Resources

On Campus
In life-threatening emergencies such as when a student is in imminent danger of harming themselves or someone else, call Public Safety at 610.330.4444.

In non life-threatening situations, please call the Counseling Center at 610.330.5005 to speak with a crisis counselor. When the Center is closed you will be connected automatically to our crisis support service.

Off Campus

Campus Resources

Counseling Center
2nd floor, Bailey Health Center
610.330.5005

The Counseling Center provides free, confidential mental health services including individual, group, relationship and crisis counseling, as well as drop-in consultation and off-campus referrals. When the Counseling Center is closed, crisis support is always available by calling 610.330.5005.

Learn more about Counseling Center services

 

Togetherall
Togetherall is a free, peer-to-peer mental health community that empowers students to anonymously seek and provide support. This online resource is moderated by mental health professionals and offers a safe space to connect with others experiencing similar feelings 24/7, 365 days a year. Togetherall also offers journaling, goal-setting and self-assessment tools, in addition to a wide range of self-guided courses to help support your mental health and well-being.

Learn more about Togetherall.

One Pard
It only takes One Pard. One person stepping up to help another can make a world of difference, and as members of a common community anyone can be the one to make that difference for a fellow Pard. If you see something you are concerned about, please consider completing a One Pard form so that the Student Support and Intervention Team can help to connect students in distress with resources and support. 

Learn more about One Pard.

Communication With Our Campus Community

Lafayette Today communicates up to date information about the variety of services and resources that the Counseling Center and other campus partners offer to help you support your mental health and well-being.

The Counseling Center offers a variety of outreach programs to support student mental health, including suicide prevention programming. Be There is a prevention program that aims to build connection and increase community support by identifying how to recognize and respond to a student in distress. Any campus group or organization may request this Counseling Center facilitated workshop. The Be There program is delivered yearly to resident advisors and extended orientation advisors.

Learn more about outreach programs offered by the Counseling Center and how to request a program.

Postvention Response

Should a campus crisis event occur, including the confirmed death by suicide of a member of the Lafayette College community, the Dean of Students Office will work in conjunction with Communications to share information to the extent possible as well as to promote available resources and services to support the campus community.