The impact of experiential exercises on communication and relational skills in a suicide prevention gatekeeper-training program for college resident advisors.
OBJECTIVE
In an effort to identify students at risk for suicide, many colleges are implementing suicide prevention training for campus gatekeepers. This study evaluated the efficacy of a 3-hour, experiential-based gatekeeper training that included an emphasis on enhancing communication skills and relational connection in addition to the didactic foci of standard gatekeeper training.


METHODS
Sixty-five college student resident advisors (RAs) were trained with Campus Connect.


METHODS
The training was dismantled to examine the specific contribution of experiential exercises on training outcomes.


RESULTS
Compared to didactic training alone, following participation in experiential exercises RAs' training outcome scores exhibited additional improvement on the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory-2 and a 14-item self-report measure of self-efficacy for specific suicide- and crisis-related knowledge and skills.


CONCLUSIONS
In gatekeeper training, experiential exercises emphasizing awareness and empathic responding and practice of these skills contribute to an improvement in crisis response skills above and beyond that of didactic training alone.
Counseling Center, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA. sdpasco@syr.edu
Susan
S
Pasco
Cory
C
Wallack
Robert M
RM
Sartin
Rebecca
R
Dayton
D000293:Adolescent; D003142:Communication; D003376:Counseling / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D020793:Gatekeeping; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000592:standards; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult; D000092864:Suicide Prevention