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Mental Health Resources

Student Health & Wellbeing

Hocking College is devoted to keeping students safe, both mentally and physically. We work with knowledgeable providers, Hopewell Health Center, to staff our counseling center. Find the counseling center contact information here:

Hocking College
John Light, Room 241

Call 740-753-7079 to schedule an appointment. Counseling hours are Wednesday 8:30am-12pm and Friday 8am-5:30pm.

If you need to speak with someone right away call the Hopewell Counseling Crisis Hotline at 1-888-475-8484.

For urgent assistance, always call 911 or Campus Safety 740.753.6598

Click Here to Learn More About the Counseling Center on Our Campus Health & Wellness page

What to Do If...

Someone is In Crisis and Needs Immediate Help

Signs some needs immediate help:
  • Suicidal statements or behaviors/attempts
  • Homicidal threats, threats of physical harm, assault, or destruction of property
  • Inability to communicate:
    • unclear speech
    • thoughts disjointed, nonsensical
  • Disoriented thoughts:
    • disconnected to reality
    • rambling speech
  • Appears to be hallucinating:
    • seeing or hearing things which are not there
  • Extreme panic or manic behavior:
    • unable to sit still
    • strong pacing
    • rocking
    • other intense movements
  • Talking so rapidly it's hard to follow. Usually combined with:
    • statements not making sense
    • hallucinations
    • bizarre thoughts
  • Being so drunk or high that he/she appears ready to do something dangerous:
    • Leap out a window
    • Walk into traffic
  • Statement by the student that s/he needs help immediately.
If you are unsure if someone is in danger of harming themselves or others, don’t hesitate to call 911, or Campus Safety: 
740-753-6598

Campus safety officers are well-trained and able to do wellness checks on individuals you may be concerned about. It is better to be safe and a little embarrassed than to ignore a potential life threatening situation.

When calling:

  • Calmly explain the nature of the emergency, such as:
    • "I have a student who is acting aggressively toward others."
    • "A student just emailed me a suicide note."
  • Provide the dispatcher with the individual’s name and location.
  • Do not approach someone who is armed or engaging in aggressive behaviors, call for help.

Someone is upset, but not in immediate danger?

Talk to them about your concerns and the need for help. Actively listen to what they have to say. When you talk, use a calm voice and relaxed body posture. Don't interrupt. Show that you are listening, and are happy to hear what the person has to say.

A good way to show you have understood is to reflect out loud on what the person has said: “so, you’re very worried about that,” for instance. Accept their response – don’t criticize or argue with them. If you think something else is advisable, such as a medical check-up, calmly explain why.

  • Recommend going to Hocking College’s Counseling Center during walk-in hours.
  • Encourage the student to call the Hocking College Counseling Center at  740-753-7079, for more information about receiving counseling services.
  • They may also call the Hopewell Health Mental Health Crisis Hotline to speak with a live person at  1-888-475-8484, available 24 hours per day.
  • If the individual begins presenting with crisis symptoms, call the Campus Police, or 911, for more immediate support.

A Student Is In Distress

If you notice a student appears to be in distress, in a safe place, talk to them and try to understand why he/she is feeling this way. Be willing to listen with caring and without judgment.

Let the student know that you are there to talk, and what they have to say is important, but that anything that depending on what is said, it may have to be reported for their safety and safety of others.

Remember you are not expected to assist students with resolving their personal issues. You are there to help link any student in need to a qualified mental health professional.

Please note, if the student of concern is exhibiting a direct or immediate threat to themselves, or you think they might be, (they are saying things like: "I want this to be over," "I don’t want to wake up any more," "I don’t see a purpose" etc.), call Campus Police at  740-753-6598 or 911, for immediate support.


You Think Someone Should See a Counselor

After listening to the student, ask if they have ever thought about counseling and explain how it might be helpful. Provide information about how to access services through the Counseling Center.

If the student is willing, you can take a more active role in getting the person help by walking them to the Counseling Center during operating office hours or assisting them with setting up an appointment.

You may also call the Counseling Center, or drop by our offices, and ask to speak to a counselor regarding a possible referral.

We understand that you may be interested in the progress of the student. However, we are bound by our code of ethics and HIPAA privacy laws. We cannot say whether a student is being seen here, has kept an appointment, or discuss their treatment without a valid release of information.

Additional Mental Health Resources

 

NAMI – Athens, Ohio

Do you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with, or whom you feel might have, a mental illness? There is hope. NAMI Athens can help. You can like the NAMI Athens Facebook page, to receive information and announcements, or leave public comments and questions. They offer many services including a Suicide Bereavement Support Group and Family Support Group.

To quickly get advice or support:

740-593-7424

  namiathens@gmail.com


Addiction Center

Starting out in college produces some natural social anxiety for many students. The temptation to drink is strong because college students overwhelmingly find that alcohol makes socializing easier. Not all college students immediately start binge drinking and doing drugs, but routinely drinking to have more fun leads many students toward addiction.

If you or a loved one is in need of support, please contact the Addiction Center here.

855-400-5261

 

Cutting, Self-Injury, and Suicide Prevention Resources

Safe Alternatives

A nationally recognized treatment approach, professional network and education resource base, which is committed to helping individual achieve an end to self-injurious behaviors. Call 1-800-DONTCUT (366-8288) or email, info@selfinjury.com, for information on seeking help.

The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people ages 13-24.

  1-866-488-7386 (24/7)

Live Chat with the Trevor Project (Daily 3 p.m. - 9 p.m. EST).

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones and best practices for professionals.

1-800-273-8255 (24/7)

Veterans: Press 1 for Veterans Crisis Hotline.

The Crisis Text Line

The Crisis Text Line that serves anyone, in any type of crisis, providing access to free, 24/7 support and information via the medium people already use and trust: text.

Here’s how it works:

Text START to 741741 from anywhere in the USA, anytime, about any type of crisis.

A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds quickly. The volunteer Crisis Counselor will help you move from a hot moment to a cool moment.

Sexual Assault Resources

The Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program (SAOP)

A community resource serving Gallia, Hocking, Meigs, Morgan, Perry and Vinton counties. They have a 24-Hour Crisis Hotline that is available if someone needs immediate advocate support, if they are unable to come in during our office hours or they feel more comfortable speaking over the phone.

Over the phone, they can request hospital, law enforcement or legal advocacy and/or accompaniment. They can ask for more information about community-based supportive services, or they can just simply talk about your experiences and feelings.

Advocates are there to help someone decide how they would like to move forward, NOT to decide for them.

By using the hotline services, they will not be obligated to seek medical treatment nor report their experience to the police.

  1-888-597-7267 (24/7 Hotline)

Jessica Fox — Community Advocate
 
jessica@saopseoh.org
740-517-1762 

RAINN

The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. Their website has a host of resources available including a national hotline and chat room.

  1-800-656-4673

Dating, Abuse & Domestic Violence Resources

Love Is Respect

Break the Cycle, a prevention education organization, and the National Dating Abuse Hotline collaborated to create the www.loveisrespect.org website. The site offers online quizzes where you can get information on how healthy or unhealthy your relationship might be as well as skill building information on communication and conflict resolution and how to get help when you decide you need it. You can live chat anonymously with a trained counselor (seven days a week from 5 p.m.-3 a.m. EST).

If you need immediate assistance call 1-866-331-9474/tty: 1.866.331.8453, to speak to a peer advocate (24/7).

You can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (24/7)


My Sister’s Place

A local shelter and outreach program serving survivors of domestic violence. If you are experiencing emotional, sexual or physical abuse in a relationship, counseling services are available to you at no cost. Licensed counselors are available at flexible hours and in confidential settings in Athens, Hocking and Vinton counties. My Sister’s Place also offers emergency shelter, court advocacy and a hotline that is available 24 hours a day. They are LGBT friendly and do assist men in troubling situations as well.

1-800-443-3402 (24/7)

LGBTQI+ Support Resources

The Ohio University LGBT Center

The Ohio University LGBT Center has a list of resources for the LGBT community. Whether it’s finding friendly housing in the Athens area, safe medical assistance as a transgender person or a gender neutral bathroom, they can help you find what you need. Stop in at the Baker Center, or check out their resources page on-line. You don’t have to be a student to hang out, find friends or get help here.

Go to the OU LGBTA Center

GLBT National Youth Talkline

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Youth Talkline provides telephone, online private one-to-one chat and email peer-support, as well as factual information and local resources across the United States. All services are free and confidential. We speak with teens and young adults up to age 25 about coming-out issues, relationship concerns, parent issues, school problems, HIV/AIDS anxiety, safer-sex information, and lots more!

(Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-12 a.m. EST, Saturday, noon-5 p.m. EST)

Pandora’s Project

Their website includes chat rooms for LGBTQ sexual assault survivors (among others), resource lists by country and state, and a searchable library of freely downloadable articles.

Go to Pandora's Project

Addiction Counselor's LGBTQ+ Resources

Their website includes resources on substance use, Co-occurring disorders, suicide prevention and resources, and general resources on mental illness.

Go to Addiction Counselor's LGBTQ+ Resources

Resources for Eating Disorders

National Eating Disorders Association

NEDA supports individuals and families affect by eating disorders and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care. Call 1-800-931-2237 (Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. EST)


ANAD: National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

Everyone has the right to love their body, regardless of size, shape, color, or ability. ANAD is here to help people overcome their fears and issues with eating and body image. Call 1-630-577-1330 (Monday-Friday, noon- 8 p.m. EST)

Child Abuse Resources

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline

The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. Serving the United States, its territories and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24/7 with professional crisis counselors who, through interpreters, can provide assistance in more than 170 languages.

The hotline offers crisis intervention, information and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service and support resources. All calls are confidential.

  1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

Reproductive Health & HIV/AIDS Resources

Pregnancy Resource Center, On Court

The Pregnancy Resource Center of Athens County is a locally organized and funded, non-profit organization that serves Athens and the surrounding counties. They offer a variety of FREE services to meet the needs of our community and are here to help with whatever concerns you may have. As you consider your options, trained consultants and staff will listen to your situation, assist with problem solving and help provide direction and needed resources. Please call 740-592-4700 for more information.


Athens Area AIDS Task Force

The Athens Area AIDS Task Force is located at United Campus Ministry at 18 N. College St. and can be reached at 740-592-4397. They provide assistance of all people dealing with HIV and AIDS, including help navigating medical services as well as assistance finding friendly housing and dealing with discrimination, harassment, etc.

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