Suicide Intent or Suicidal Gestures
When the college is notified that a student has made a statement (verbal or written) of suicidal intent or has made a suicidal gesture, Counseling Services staff will meet with the student and make an initial assessment of the veracity of the alleged suicidal intent or gesture. Depending on the assessment, staff will determine how to respond, such as (1) giving the student the option to voluntarily admit him/herself to an appropriate treatment facility for the evaluation and care until released by the admitting physician; (2) giving the student the option to voluntarily contact family members who will accept responsibility for the student’s welfare and for taking the student to receive evaluation/treatment by a licensed mental health provider (e.g. psychologist, counselor); (3) arranging for further evaluation and treatment; (4) contacting the student’s family to accept responsibility for the student’s welfare; or (5) any combination of these options or other available options, depending on the particular circumstances involved.
If the student is deemed to have made statements of suicidal intent or a gesture of minimal risk but is not considered a current danger to self, the student must develop a self-harm prevention plan with a licensed mental health care provider and agree to implement it, which includes compliance with the treatment recommendations of the mental health care provider. The mental health care provider can be with Carroll College Counseling Services or in private practice. If the student chooses a private provider, the student will be required to sign a release of information for Counseling Services to communicate with the mental health provider. At the conclusion of the meetings the student must submit a letter of release/completion from the provider, along with stipulations for continued self-care, to the Associate Director of Counseling Services. Carroll College will support the recommendations of the counselor (private mental health provider or Carroll College counselor) for continued self-care. Failure to comply with stipulations for continued self-care may result in involuntary withdrawal from the college.