SU GTD hosts suicide prevention workshop for STI College Cotabato
Faculty and staff members of STI College Cotabato pose with the Silliman University Guidance and Testing Division (GTD) halfway through the workshop. Dr. Jaruvic C. Rafols (front-left), GTD head, spearheads the workshop.
The Silliman University (SU) Office of Student Services – Guidance and Testing Division (GTD), through the leadership of Dr. Jaruvic C. Rafols, GTD head and newly installed Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association-Peer Organizations of the Philippines (PGCA-POP) president, hosted a half-day workshop titled, “RACE Against Suicide: A Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention in Schools,” to administrators, faculty, and staff members of STI College Cotabato on July 24, 2024, at the Multipurpose Room (MPR).
Organized by the SU GTD and STI College Cotabato with support from UNILAB Foundation, Inc., HeadsUP PH, and PGCA, the workshop aligns with the overall main objective of UNILAB’s “RACE Against Suicide Toolkit: A Gatekeeper Training Toolkit for Suicide Prevention in Schools.”
It is specifically created for teachers and seeks to “train all school personnel (administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, health staff, and other mental health professionals) to become effective gatekeepers in the school setting to prevent suicide within the community through appropriate identification, management, and referral of learners-at-risk.”
RACE is an acronym that stands for the four-step intervention administrators and educators can take in managing students at-risk for suicide. It involves (a) recognizing the warning signs of a suicide, (b) assessing suicide risks using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) tool, (c) convincing the learner that it’s okay to seek help, and (d) entrusting the learner to the school counselor or mental health designate.
STI College Cotabato pose at the iconic Silliman Hall after their tour with Zild Jan Teves (second-right) Silliman University Corps of Campus Ambassadors (SUCCA) secretary.
The introductory workshop facilitated by the GTD head, along with Rea Mae Albon-Cadeliña, GTD guidance counselor and RACE trainer, and Shawn Iverson Bilacaol, GTD career advocate and RACE trainer, included video presentations and lectures following UNILAB’s toolkit that focuses on Module 1: Basic Skills.
In this module, participants are expected to (1) identify the problem of suicide and self-harm among learners, (2) recognize the warning signs of suicide among learners, (3) assess the level of risk using the 6-question C-SSRS Screen version, and (4) apply suicide first-aid techniques for at-risk individuals.
STI College Cotabato was represented by Jefferson D. Bacurnay, president; Myrissa B. Wahab Sanday, school administrator, Prof. Alfred B. Taboada, academic head; Lea Rose A. Valdez, Senior High School (SHS) principal; Averell N. Saglayan, Tourism and Hospitality Management program head; and select faculty and staff members under programs such as Social Work, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Tourism Management, Hospitality Management, Arts and Sciences, and Senior High School.
