Staff, faculty, graduate and professional students participate in a REACH training session in the ‘24-‘25 academic year, in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: Courtesy of Laura Lewis
Ohio State’s Suicide Prevention Program will launch an advanced version of its REACH prevention training for students, faculty and staff in October to expand intervention measures and help students save lives.
Called REACH 2.0, the 60-minute in-person sessions will provide instruction on group discussions focusing on identifying risk factors to prevent suicide and teach participants how to make a difference within the lives of themselves and others, said Laura Lewis, the program’s assistant director.
“You can become confident in asking the question ‘Are you OK?’ by attending one of our trainings to help you learn how to use the right language to empower yourself and other people,” Lewis said.
REACH is an acronym for “recognize warning signs, engage with empathy, ask directly about suicide, communicate hope and help suicidal individuals access care and treatment,” according to SPP’s website.
Lewis said the idea for this enhanced training came from students seeking to be better equipped to help promote suicide prevention.
“The emphasis on 2.0 is becoming an advocate,” Lewis said.
Students must have completed the first REACH training to participate in REACH 2.0, as the second installation builds directly off of previously developed skills, Lewis said.
This second stage of training builds off the first by providing real-life examples to deepen participants’ understanding of ways to promote healthy discussions regarding mental health, Lewis said.
The training starts with a quick refresher of what REACH stands for, and then focuses on protective factors, risk factors and warning signs, Lewis said.
“It’s an opportunity for people who really want to go deeper, who feel a passion about saving lives and a connection to this cause,” Lewis said.
Mia Castro, a certified undergraduate REACH trainer, said REACH 2.0 focuses on identifying the warning signs that can be observed in the suicidal mind.
“We see those warning signs in our everyday life,” Castro said. “To really hone in on that skill of recognizing that and calling that out when we see it. That’ll be very important and very applicable.”
REACH 2.0 will provide participants with a case study to accomplish this. Participants will work together in small groups to identify risk factors, warning signs and preventative measures in a given scenario, Lewis said.
“[Participants are] putting those skills they learn into practice,” Castro said.
Lewis said all participants who complete REACH 2.0 will receive a button signifying their knowledge of preventative measures.
The first undergraduate REACH 2.0 training session will take place Oct. 27, with training for staff, faculty, graduate and professional students the following day. To register, visit SPP’s website.
