Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
GILLETTE - The Campbell County Prevention Council plans to roll out a new suicide prevention training program this spring.
The program's ethos stands in stark contrast to another program that was supposed to be implemented last summer, said Ashley McRae, the county's suicide prevention specialist and a board member of the Campbell County Prevention Council.
"It was completely unsafe," McRae said. "It would've probably set us back 30 years."
That state pilot program went up for consideration after a two-year spike in suicides through 2022 and 2023 in Campbell County. Cases have dipped in the past year.
Campbell County was picked by the governor's office to host the pilot project. The goal was for someone who studies suicide to visit Campbell County, evaluate the community and look at what risk factors and prevention measures are in place to come up with new ways to prevent suicide.
McRae said this program would have taught prevention trainees to question people using their services about what they were "really feeling."
This program is based on the idea no one truly wants to end their own lives - only their suffering, McRae said. While that's a generally accepted fact by those who work in the prevention field, McRae said the board felt the approach would've been emotionally invalidating, sidestepping the feelings of those asking for help. It would have hurt the people that need help the most.
She said the program also suggested that kids under 15 years old don't understand what suicide is, and are merely "weaponizing" it, a phrase that was used in the program.
The Campbell County Prevention Council sent a letter – signed by all board members - to the state explaining its decision to not go forward with Prosper Together.
The new prevention program, called Living Ideation, was developed by Dr. Steven Nicholas and is meant to "discover existing strengths within a person," according to his website. Trainees will be encouraged to have patients focus on things they have lived for - and continue to live for - while acknowledging their suffering.
"They've lived this far ... what's allowed (them) to live up to this point?" McRae said. "I can't even justify in words how amazing this program is."
The state is currently reviewing the program outline.
The board plans to begin promoting Nicholas' work and releasing registration information to people who qualify and are interested in training with the program beginning in March.
While signups won't be open to the general public, anyone can contact the Campbell County Prevention Council to ask about registering.
Living Ideation will include instructions on how to perform a living ideation assessment and Nicholas' version of a safety plan.
McRae said it's extremely important for Campbell County residents to understand that their suffering is real and that having to reach out for help is not a mark against the strength of their character.
"You can be a strong, independent Wyomingite" and still struggle with your mental health, she said.
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