We are Here for You. #SuicidePreventionWeek

James Sherpa: This episode contains discussions of the serious topic of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, please dial 988. Now enjoy BroncoTales.

McKenzie Sorrells: Hi everyone, my name is McKenzie Sorrells, and I work as the Director of BroncoFit, which is the wellness services section of health services over here in the Norco building. Today joining me is Michelle Tassanari and Anita Solvitch.

Michelle Tassanari is a licensed professional counselor from Boise, Idaho. Michelle currently works in a nonclinical case manager role doing suicide prevention, post hospitalization support, skills training, and is the project manager for Boise State’s JED Campus Project. 

Anita is a graduate assistant serving in BroncoFit, overseeing the peer health educators and their role in prevention work here on campus. 

Today, we’re gonna be talking about suicide prevention and all the things around suicide prevention at Boise State. This is the BroncoTales podcast with the College of Health Sciences, and here we go. So today’s guiding question is, what is suicide prevention, and what does that look like on Boise State’s campus? And I’d love to hear from both you, Michelle and Anita. 

Michelle Tassinari: Yeah, so the way Boise State approaches suicide prevention is really creating connection and belonging on campus. We have really tried to shift the mindset that we need to do some kind of big sweeping intervention that comes at the last minute when someone is already kind of experiencing suicidal thoughts or already in a mental health crisis. We’re trying to walk upstream before somebody has entered that crisis.

And maybe they don’t even know that something’s happening, but as Boise State, we are a community that comes together and creates connections and helps people feel like they have a place in the world. So that’s kind of our campus approach, and we have a variety of interventions from prevention work like that all the way through post-vention for a variety of different situations involving suicidality and mental health crisis. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Yeah, I would love to talk a little bit more about what does upstream work looks like. What does that mean?

Anita, if you want to pop in here, feel free from a student perspective, if you see things across campus.

Anita Suljic: I feel like the upstream approach is looking to make efforts before the situation worsens or students are in desperate need of help immediately. And I feel like as a student, I appreciate the efforts that Dean of Students, BroncoFit, counseling, and other departments here on campus. Starting those conversations early with Suicide Prevention Week and just in general with mental well-being, and letting students know what is available here, and letting them have that opportunity to get support before it gets bad. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Thank you. 

Michelle Tassinari: I was just in a training yesterday with some housing folks and we talked about upstream prevention in kind of like a floating the Boise River metaphor. We talked about, you’re getting in at Barber Park and you’ve got your stuff. You kind of notice some people are floating with air mattresses and maybe don’t have paddles. Other people are like super equipped, maybe with a head helmet and all the kinds of equipment that they need, and taking note of that is like prevention, recognizing folks that might not be fully equipped to handle situations that may happen down the river.

Sometimes that means there’s a lifeguard standing on the edge, maybe watching for folks that are hitting small rapids, or maybe their tube pops. And they need somebody to watch out for them because the rapids are about to come and their tube is popped. They need help, and that’s the metaphor that our office really has leaned into is that if we can help people in the Boise State community have eyes out for folks and be watching for the people that need help before the rapids come.

It makes everyone’s life a little bit easier and can really be an impactful difference and the determining factor between somebody staying at Boise State and successfully graduating versus somebody having a really difficult time and maybe feeling like they’re not cut out for college when it’s really just circumstances or cards they’ve been dealt.

McKenzie Sorrells: Yeah, absolutely. And I’d like to plug JED here.

Michelle and I work on a committee together that focuses on mental health for students. And I–Michelle, if you’re willing to, would love for you to expand on JED. What are the things that are involved in JED? What are we doing as a university to really make this possible? 

Michelle Tassinari: Yeah, Kenzie’s such a good advocate for JED. I appreciate it.

McKenzie Sorrells: You’re welcome. 

Michelle Tassinari: So JED Campus is a four-year partnership with the JED Foundation. And the JED Foundation is a nonprofit formed after an individual named Jed died by suicide in the early 2000s. And the goal is to equip colleges and K-12 settings with prevention tools and really this upstream prevention approach in a way that is structured within the university. 

So it’s not just a singular awareness week, but it’s policies, it’s syllabus statements. It’s approaches to onboarding for new faculty and staff to help everyone understand that mental health is important and kind of create a culture of care and a thriving community, ultimately. So that’s where the JED Campus fits into Boise State.

It’s a goal within the thriving community goal and our blueprint for success, our strategic plan. And we are in, gosh, what are we in? We’re in year two now. Yeah, so we’re about halfway. And we’re implementing some really great interventions to try and support Boise State students. 

A part of our partnership with the JED Campus Program has been them coming into campus and evaluating what we currently have, which is, gosh, such a vulnerable place to be. Because you have to say, like, here’s the parts that we don’t love about our campus, right? And here are some really important areas of growth, even if we don’t always want to hear them, myself included, right? It’s important to objectively listen to that. And we got some good feedback on things that we can actually take steps on. And your office is a part of that, but the faculty is a really huge stakeholder in that too. 

So as we kind of work to develop this out, hopefully, our goal is to create a little bit more understanding and awareness of everyone’s role within prevention work, even if it’s in the classroom and you’re teaching physics, right? What is your role within suicide prevention and mental health support? And then ultimately help students understand that we care about them and we want to help them. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Yeah, no, absolutely. Thank you for sharing that. And I would also like to point out that Michelle’s done a really great job, like bringing in a student perspective, too. We know that, faculty and staff, we don’t always know what students really need and want. And so having that student advisory board has been really, really helpful in pushing these forward as well.

I really want to touch on Suicide Prevention Week. I feel like, you know, it’s been around for a few years now. I would love to hear kind of like where that started. Anita, I would love your perspective on, you know, getting involved in events. Yeah, I’ll throw it back to you, Michelle. 

Michelle Tassinari: Yeah, so Suicide Prevention Week was kind of my brainchild in 2021. I actually started my position here on campus during the pandemic. So that first year, I was all remote and seeing so many students in crisis and really having difficult circumstances happening to them. But then also like them, helpless and not quite knowing what to do, and a lot of people on campus were in pain.

So as we started to transition back, I was like what can I do about this? Like, how can we make this as big and as out there as possible? And so I was like, let’s do Prevention Week. I did not have a background in prevention at all. I am a counselor, which means I’m a little bit introverted and more of a people person rather than like an event, broad-scale person. It was a stretch for me personally, but it was an important development opportunity for the institution and for those of us doing prevention work to lean into this. It was not as well attended as I wanted, right? It’s the first year of anything-

McKenzie Sorrells: Always 

Michelle Tassinari: Yes so it wasn’t like anything wonderful, but it was a starting point and a really important catalyst for some change on campus.

So we have evolved since last year. We brought in BroncoFit and your partnership has just been so important to me as a professional, but also our office is collaborating. I think we’re a tough dynamic to go against between the two of us. So we’re able to bring together a lot of institutional knowledge and gather some really important stakeholders. 

So this coming year, we’ve got a fabulous menu of events available for people. I would love to hear like as a student kind of how you have conceptualized the evolution of prevention work for suicide on campus. 

Anita Suljic: I feel like it’s evolved a lot just in my second half of being at the university. I was a sophomore when COVID hit, so I feel like I don’t have much memory about how it happened during my first event sophomore year. But I do remember I have memories from last year and the year prior of Suicide Prevention Week and stopping at booths like the Flower Stand from last year, and just knowing where to look for those resources to find what is happening here on campus. So it’s been really cool to see the growth. And I know other students who I’m friends with also remember a lot of those events, especially from last year.

So it’s been cool to see that it’s already catching on. Students know that it’s going to be happening year to year and can look out for it moving forward. 

Michelle Tassinari: Well, I appreciate you saying that because I feel like sometimes we change things up so frequently. We don’t create tradition, and tradition can be such an important part of establishing connection and community because you have that mutual buy-in inherently with the folks that you’re sharing an identity with.

And so I’m hoping to create some tradition with this and who knows, maybe Mental Health Awareness Week in October, also and Eating Disorder Awareness Week. There’s a lot of opportunity for us to just expand this prevention work and build on that tradition to create a community on campus. So I’m excited about the possibilities. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Absolutely, and I think it’s important to point out that you know a lot of our programs maybe are geared towards students. But the more buy-in faculty and staff can provide, like higher attendance, the more we, together as a university, create that culture of care which we’re striving for. So well–when is suicide prevention week, when’s it happening, what are the details, do tell.

Michelle Tassinari: What a great question, Kenzie. So Suicide Prevention Week actually falls on September 11th through the 15th this year. Out of respect for 9-11, we are taking that day to just offer some community care events. I say events loosely, more of just like some passive community builders. We’re gonna have donuts around campus because you do-nut know how much you matter. So opportunities to just have some fun and also acknowledge a lot of sacrifice, a lot of pain, and a lot of loved ones that are not with us during that time.

So, honoring that and then September 12th, the next day, we will have our big kickoff headliner event, the Here for You Fest. That event is really spearheaded by BroncoFit. Your team has some wonderful planning, and it’s gonna be something to come see. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Yeah, I feel like it’s gonna be pretty huge. There’s gonna be bounce houses, hopefully a temporary tattoo artist, food, shirts, tote bags, and lots of different activities like tie-dying. We’ll have our lovely dogs there so you can come pet a dog, but also chat with some counselors. And just a variety of different activities for you to get involved with the university, but also understand what resources are here for you for mental health.

With that, we would also love to extend the invite to faculty and staff just to stop by and also learn about the resources that you can provide students. Because again, your support is so, so valued.

So, and then after that, is it…what’s next? 

Michelle Tassinari: Then we will have the flower truck calling it Mental Health and Bloom this year.

Anita Suljic: I’m looking forward to it. 

Michelle Tassinari: Tell your friends to do that. Yeah. This was one of our most popular events last year. And it’s the cutest little 1950s truck that’s been renovated and so beautifully done. And the bed of the truck will be filled with flowers. So Posy Blue, shout out to Posy Blue. They’re a wonderful group that is so supportive of our mission. And we’ll be parking on campus. We’re going to have the flower truck open for folks to come take a flower to a stranger, hopefully as a random act of kindness.

But also maybe your heart needs a flower that day, too. Maybe you have worked hard or you’re really homesick and you just want something happy to look at in your new residence hall room. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Absolutely. I know I would need a flower. 

Michelle Tassinari: Right. I know. So it’s pretty cool. We’re going to have some music out there, too. Lots of stickers that are like mental health, floral kind of vibes. And then the next day, we’re going to have a puppies and popsicles event. 

Anita Suljic: Love. 

Michelle Tassinari: Who doesn’t love puppies? And on a hot day, who doesn’t love a popsicle? Right. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Yeah. So needed. 

Michelle Tassinari: So our friends in Bronco Bold, the athletic student organization for student mental health, is partnering with us to have two therapy dogs, at least probably some more, available for some snuggles and a popsicle. Just a nice little interaction, hopefully, to brighten your mood between classes.

And yeah, also faculty and staff, we would love to see you out there. I think one of the most impactful things I heard from last year was a student talking about how cool it was to see faculty in blazers or, you know, the higher-ups stopping at these stations and being engaged in the community activities. Because they see faculty and staff on campus as these untouchable kind of superheroes. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Absolutely. 

Michelle Tassinari: It’s like the parent effect when you’re little, you think they’re superheroes, they don’t do anything wrong. And so having them humanize a little bit is a really cool way to do some relationship building. Also just gains a lot of trust in our students’ eyes, which is when we can be the most helpful for them. So we invite everyone out to come see it. That night, too, is that the night we’re doing Chalk the Walk, or is it the next day? 

McKenzie Sorrells: I think it’s the next day. 

Michelle Tassinari: Yeah, the Friday. We are prepping the walkway for our suicide prevention football game by having a bunch of suicide prevention messages, chalk art drawings on the ground, yeah.

So that everyone can kind of see inspiring messages, or maybe as an artist, you’re out there and you feel called to do some art around mental health and mental health awareness. We’d love to have you out there and feature your art on our social media. So come join us for that. That’ll be fun. Last year, we did pizza and some cold drinks and just had music going while folks did chalk art, which was pretty cool. And then the next day is our morning football game. 

McKenzie Sorrells: So excited. So cool. It’s been so much fun. 

Michelle Tassinari: Yeah. So it’s our official Suicide Prevention Week game for the season, and we will have special shirts out for students. There’s gonna be a shirt giveaway. I don’t know if they do it in that big hot dog launcher. 

McKenzie Sorrells: I really hope so.

Michelle Tassinari: I hope so too, because it’s kind of–I think it’s called the Frankenflinger. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Oh my gosh, of course. 

Michelle Tassinari: Yeah, yeah, flinging Here For You shirts. So it’s very cool.

We’ll have a halftime or a timeout-type break talking about suicide prevention. There’s gonna be turquoise colors all around campus that week, so keep an eye out for wherever you see turquoise colors on campus during the day or night. And you might just think of our suicide prevention efforts and maybe how you can be a part of suicide prevention either in your life, outside of Boise State, or within the Boise State community. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Yeah, I love that. I really want to highlight our tagline: “Here For You”. It’s always just a good reminder that, you know, we’re all people and we all need to be here for each other.

And Boise State, in all aspects, is here for you. As students, as faculty and staff, to support you through all things. 

Michelle Tassinari: And that brings up a good point, too. Like, as faculty and staff on campus, we do want you to…we’re asking folks to pay attention to students. But a lot of these resources are also applicable to faculty and staff. So I see a colleague who’s, you know, struggling, or you yourself are struggling. We’re gonna have resources all week.

HR has resources. We have wonderful EAP support. And especially at the Here For You Fest, we’ll have vendors and mental health resources from the community. It’s not just Boise State stuff. That’s what I appreciate about how we’ve evolved Suicide Prevention Week, is we’re trying to bring in a lot of other stuff. It’s not just Boise State resources. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Yeah, yeah. We care about everyone. We’re here for you.

Hey! All right, to kind of wrap up our conversation today, I’m going to ask you both a little wrap-up question. What is one big key takeaway you want folks to walk away knowing about suicide prevention? 

Michelle Tassinari: Hmm, that’s a good question. I think I would like folks to know that suicide is preventable, and you don’t have to be a counselor to be a part of the prevention.

McKenzie Sorrells: Snaps, yeah. 

Michelle Tassinari: Sometimes, suicide prevention is when you see someone crying, asking how they are, or saying thank you and making some eye contact with the barista at Starbucks when it’s a busy time of day. 

Suicide prevention can be minimal things that really shift someone’s day, and in fact, a lot of the research is showing us that it’s those little things that tend to be protective factors against suicide and outweigh the risk factors that can often be really insurmountable for somebody. So it’s achievable, it’s accessible, even if you don’t feel like you know anything about mental health, I’m sure you know how to put a smile on someone’s face, and that’s suicide prevention. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Love that. Yeah. Love that. Anita, what are your thoughts as a student? 

Anita Suljic: As a student, I know being a student is hard and it’s overwhelming. I would hope that from Suicide Prevention Week that students can understand that what they’re feeling is valid and that they can–to never minimize what they’re feeling and feel that they’re not worthy of receiving support. But also knowing what support is around so that if they ever need it or their friend needs it, they know where they’re able to go. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Yes. So important.

Well, hey, I appreciate both of you being here so much and helping us spread the word about suicide prevention here at Boise State. We appreciate both of you. And as always, we’re here for you. Thank you. 

Michelle Tassinari: See you all at our events this coming week. 

McKenzie Sorrells: Oh, yes, I hope so. 

James Sherpa: This has been BroncoTales with the College of Health Sciences. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform.

Next month’s episode, we’ll dive into the School of Social Work as we learn about our new divisional Dean, David Becerra. We’ll see you there.

Now enjoy this preview. 

Jacoba Rock: One of the things that interests me about your story is really how you saw firsthand what a system experience was, and then you wanted to be involved in potentially changing it. 

David Becerra: I think because of that, it’s shaped me to be thinking about bigger macro issues in ways that I think many, especially social workers, may not be thinking about.