Have you ever been worried about a student or friend on campus? Faculty, staff, and students are in an ideal position to recognize when someone is struggling emotionally and may need help. Kognito is a 45-minute online simulation that lets you practice conversations with a virtual student, so you’ll know what to say in real life. VSU is making this program available to faculty, staff, and students to help create a safer and more supportive campus.

To access this free resource, visit https://vsu.kognito.com and sign in with your VSU email and password. Based on your campus role, you will see either the At-Risk for Students or At-Risk for Faculty & Staff course.

Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) are the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. It doesn't take a health professional to prevent suicide - you're qualified! Sponsored by the University System of Georgia's Mental Health Initiative, QPR training is available free to all students, faculty, and staff within USG. The 1.5-hour training session includes didactic instruction, role-play exercises, and time for questions. 

• Registration link

The Office of Health Promotions and Wellness offers on-campus QPR training.

Attend a Session

• September 9, 11-12:30, Student Union, Rm. 1A/B
• March 1, 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Student Union Rm. 3 & 4

Email vsuwellness@valdosta.edu for more information or to reserve your seat.

Most of us would know how to help if we saw someone having a heart attack—we’d start CPR, or at the very least, call 9-1-1. But too few of us would know how to respond if we saw someone having a panic attack or if we were concerned that a friend or co-worker might be showing signs of alcoholism. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a skills-based training that teaches you to identify and help someone who is presenting a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it builds mental health literacy, helping peers identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness. Studies also have shown that the program reduces stigma by bridging the social distance created by negative attitudes and perceptions of individuals with mental illnesses.

The USG continues to offer MHFA training online for faculty, staff, and students. 

2 hours of self-paced online pre-work
6 hours of instructor-led online training

Sign up for training

Every manager has a legal, business, and moral responsibility to be proactive in helping support their employees during times of need.

Our working lives can have a powerful influence on our mental state and, as leaders in a demanding and high-pressured world, it is essential that we develop the confidence and competence to identify individuals at risk and intervene in an appropriate and effective way.  The aim of this 1-hr session is to help you to recognize signs of concern and respond appropriately.

The bystander model is an innovative approach to the widespread problem of sexual violence prevention across campuses and other communities (e.g., Banyard, Plante, & Moynihan, 2004; Slaby & Stringham, 1994; Katz 1994; DeKeseredy, Schwartz, & Alvi, 2000; Foubert, 2000; Foubert & Marriott, 1997; Berkowitz, 2002). This approach involves teaching bystanders how to intervene in situations that involve sexual violence.

While still involving programming that trains groups of individuals, this model takes next steps toward a broader community approach to prevention:

• The bystander model gives all community members a specific role, which they can identify with and adopt in preventing the community problem of sexual violence.
• This role includes interrupting situations that could lead to assault before it happens or during an incident, speaking out against social norms that support sexual violence, and having skills to be an effective and supportive ally to survivors.

The bystander model is based on studies that point to the role of community norms as a significant cause of sexual violence, particularly in communities like college campuses (Schwartz & DeKeseredy, 1997, 2000). While the responsibility for sexual violence perpetration properly rests with the offenders, research has identified risk factors and social contexts that may increase the likelihood of sexual victimization and facilitate or hinder the support of survivors.

ATTEND A SESSION

• January 20, 12-2 PM, Student Union Rm. 3 & 4

Email vsuwellness@valdosta.edu to reserve your seat.

REQUEST A SESSION

Bringing in the Bystander Request Form

The Escalation Workshop is a film-based discussion that opens people’s eyes to the warning signs of relationship abuse. The workshop consists of a film, Escalation, followed by a guided discussion led by a trained facilitator.

WHAT IS THE WORKSHOP FORMAT?

The film follows a college-aged couple through the very sweet beginnings of their relationship and shows how unhealthy behaviors can escalate into abuse.

After watching the film, workshop participants dive into a discussion about the film—led by trained facilitators—discussing the early warning signs of relationship abuse and what they can do if they witness or experience these warning signs. The conversation is led by a facilitator that has been trained by One Love.

ATTEND A SESSION 

• October 25, 6-7:30 PM, Student Union, Rm. 3 & 4
• February 16, 5 - 6:30 PM, Student Union, Rm. 3 & 4

Email  vsuwellness@valdosta.edu to reserve your seat.

REQUEST A SESSION

One Love Request Form

TIPS for University acknowledges that whether or not students choose to drink, they are likely to find themselves in situations where alcohol is being consumed. More than 1,000 campuses have used this program to prepare students to reduce alcohol-related incidents on campus through appropriate education and intervention skills. TIPS for the University is a dynamic peer intervention, skills training program designed specifically for students. 

ATTEND A SESSION 

• October 27, 5:30 PM - 7 PM, Odum Library 1604
• March 6, 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Student Union, Rm 3 &4

REQUEST A SESSION

To schedule this training for your department, residence hall, class, organization, or another campus event, email vsuwellness@valdosta.edu.