• When a student is referred to a counselor for mental health concerns, or if a student discloses themselves, the first step a counselor should take is to ask the student about their concerns. The second step is to listen, which Callan feels is the most important part of counseling (A. Callan, personal communication, February 1, 2020).
• Know which agencies a student can be referred to for outside help, and keep the door open to the student after referral. Callan explained that all students are welcome to visit with her at any time to discuss further concerns (A. Callan, personal communication, February 1, 2020).
• Determine if a student has a support system in place. Do they have an outside therapist that can be contacted, or a family member or friend who can come pick them up and drive them to a treatment facility? If the student does not have a support system in place, the Abilene Police Department can often provide the student with support group options (A. Callan, personal communication, February 1, 2020).

• With increasingly large caseloads, counseling centers are forced to make do with less (Brown, 2020).
• This low level of treatment often keeps students' mental health from improving (Brown, 2020).
• Fewer than half the students who need assistance end up receiving it at many overburdened colleges and universities (Brown, 2020).

Students are showing up at counseling centers in droves. But they don’t always get the treatment they need. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/Students-Are-Showing-Up-at/247844

• Due to an increased need for mental health services, counseling offices at many colleges are turning to telehealth services such as texting or video chats.
• Using telehealth services also allows counselors to meet students "where they are," which is often on their mobile devices. 
• Telehealth services are one way counselors can support suicidal students with ongoing treatment.

Why colleges are looking online for mental health care. Education Dive. Retrieved from https://www.educationdive.com/news/why-colleges-are-looking-online-for-mental-health-care/568294/

• Full-time students at all levels must be provided information about mental health services.
• Students must also be provided with the warning signs of suicide.
• Information can be provided through a live presentation, online program or video, but cannot be only provided in paper format.

• Determined that Texas A&M University did indeed retain sovereign immunity in this case of a lawsuit brought against a state institution in regard to a student suicide.
• TAMU's sovereign immunity as a government entity protects it from lawsuits, even those involving student suicide.
• On June 14, 2019, the Texas Supreme Court refused to review the case, and the Court of Appeals decision stands.
• The case reasserts public institutions sovereign immunity, largely protecting them from suits regarding student suicides.

•  a college or university may disclose protected educational records to appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency.
• A health or safety emergency covers concerns that the student may be a danger to themselves.

• Citizens have a right to be secure in their persons and effects.
• Citizens are protected against unlawful search and seizure.
• Even if a student is suspected to be suicidal, educational institutions must take care not to infringe on their constitutional rights.
• Education is considered to belong to the student, and therefore cannot be removed from them without due course.

• Cisco College abides by FERPA guidelines, which means educational records can be shared with appropriate parties if the student is a danger to themselves.

• Cisco College should incorporate a suicide prevention and mental health awareness presentation into each semester's orientation session to raise awareness and to abide by Texas Education Code (Tex. Educ. Code § 51.9194).
• Each semester, community college faculty and staff need to be provided guidelines on when to breach confidentiality with a student regarding mental health concerns or suicide risks (34 C.F.R. § 99).
• Cisco College should maintain a list of community agencies for referrals when a student faces a mental health crisis (A. Callan, personal communication, February 1, 2020). This also abides by NASPA guidelines.
• The counseling department at Cisco College should be provided additional training which deals specifically with response to suicidal students.
• Counselors at Cisco College should have an open-door policy for students, even after referrals (A. Callan, personal communication, February 1, 2020).
• Cisco College should look at options to combat understaffing in its counseling department, such as telehealth services (D'Orio, 2019).
• Workshops need to be offered throughout the year to teach students warning signs of suicide and where to go should they or others need help.
• Ensure faculty and staff also know the warning signs of suicide so they can refer at-risk students to the counseling department.
• Create student support groups on campus to offer emotional support to students dealing with mental health concerns.

Why colleges are looking online for mental health care. Education Dive. Retrieved from https://www.educationdive.com/news/why-colleges-are-looking-online-for-mental-health-care/568294/