How One Southern Campus Addressed Their Higher-Than-Average Suicide Attempt Rates with Real, Relevant, and Actionable Training
- Organization: Northwestern State University (NSULA)
- Location: Natchitoches, Louisiana
- Student Population: Approximately 3,000 students living on campus + commuter students
- Training Delivered: 3 trainings, the most recent of which was a suicide prevention training targeted at student-athletes
- Primary Contacts: Dr. Yonna Pasch, Director of Student Affairs, and Madysen Morgan, Student Government Association (SGA) President
The Challenge: Strong Campus Culture, but Heavy Topics with Hollow Delivery
With a student population that includes a large number of commuters, international students, and first-generation college attendees, NSULA has built a culture that feels more like home than a traditional campus.
But even with that cultural support, students still weren’t getting the tools they needed to manage mental health challenges on their own. NSULA’s internal data revealed something concerning: rates of suicide attempts were higher than those at similar institutions, and students couldn’t always quickly access the support they needed.
“It’s an open-door policy. A lot of the times, when they come to our offices, they can come sit and chat; we can figure some things out. We will cry together, hug together, laugh together, and have some hard conversations together.”
— Dr. Yonna Pasch
The school had tried to fill the gap with education—but most of it fell flat in a death-by-PowerPoint style.
What the campus needed wasn’t more content. It was more connection. It was a conversation about suicide prevention that didn’t just focus on the bad, but instead taught students how to build themselves up and be their own best advocates for strong mental health.
“I did want to get into the counseling center, and from the moment you get on campus, it’s like, ‘Well, it takes forever to get in.’ You can never get in. When I got into my position on SGA…I said, ‘What can we do to get these students here now?’ It was a little difficult to get that support as a student myself.
[Previous mental health talks] ended up being really sad and heavy, and students aren’t engaged when the energy is sucked out of the room for the whole time and we don’t know when we’re going to be able to see out of that.”
— Madysen Morgan
The Solution: Real Talk That Stuck with Students
When NSULA brought Jessi in to speak, they were hoping for something more impactful than the usual wellness lecture. What they got was a training that students immediately recognized as different. Students didn’t just stay engaged—they walked out asking for more.
By balancing clinical accuracy with real-world delivery, Jessi made the subject approachable—and gave students tools they could immediately apply in their lives and conversations.
“I remember buzzing after that whole session. I have it written down somewhere—it was literally something that Jessi said [during her presentation], and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m obsessed. This is perfect. Let’s bring her back for every single thing ever because I’m obsessed with her.’
People behind me were reacting and paying attention the entire time. Everything you said made sense. You were very interactive with us; we don’t like just sitting and listening to someone talk for an hour. It was fun to watch people laugh and see students that you normally don’t see get up and volunteer to do things.”
— Madysen Morgan
“She just resonates with a lot of our students. What she’s saying is very relevant to them, and that’s what they want: they want real talk. When students walk out and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, we need her back,’ that speaks volumes. For them to leave and say this was not a waste of time…it’s quite remarkable.”
— Dr. Yonna Pasch
The Impact: Suicide Prevention and Active Listening Infiltrated the Campus
NSULA doesn’t just host training and then hope for the best; they take action on what they learn. One of the changes the campus has made in recent years is adding suicide hotline stickers to the back of every student ID.
“If we didn’t have these talks, [SGA] wouldn’t think that would be an initiative to implement campus-wide.”
— Dr. Yonna Pasch
The impact also showed up in how students started talking to each other, especially in the wake of a tumultuous and polarizing political election. This wasn’t just about checking a box. It was about changing the culture.
“In my everyday conversations, I was having a lot of people using the tools that Jessi gave them. I noticed kind of a demeanor switch. Jessi came in at a perfect time when demeanor was weird, and then after it was like I could see the light again with people being nice and a little more respectful of everything happening.”
— Madysen Morgan
What This Means for Other Organizations
In today’s climate, mental health often ends up on the chopping block when budgets get tight. But NSULA made the intentional decision to keep it on the table—because they understood the cost of doing nothing.
If your organization serves people navigating identity, pressure, transition, or uncertainty—whether that’s students or employees—they need tools that actually meet them where they are, even if they don’t know they need them yet.
“You need to invest in the whole student, not just the academic side. They don’t know what they don’t know. At this point, they’re still developing, so if the students say [suicide prevention] is not a priority, I will still say it’s a priority because they don’t know what they don’t know. It’s a way that we’re doing our part as an institution. We’re doing them a disservice if we’re not providing a little snippet of this education; whenever they go into the real world, they’re at least a little more equipped.”
— Dr. Yonna Pasch
The final word…
“I know multiple people that have committed suicide. It sucks, and it’s awful; it’s real, and it’s something that’s happening every day. It’s not something you can just ignore. If you don’t give students the avenue to understand or learn how to help someone that is feeling this way, are you really helping out your students all the ways you can?”
– Madysen Morgan
Want to Equip Your People with Tools That Actually Stick?
Schedule a consultation to learn how the Crisis Readiness Group can help your organization train for suicide prevention and communication with clarity, confidence, and compassion.