Aligned with CHED’s mental health advocacy, the Office of Guidance Services conducted a workshop titled “RACE Against SUICIDE: A Gatekeeper Training Toolkit for Suicide Prevention in Schools” on March 15 at CHMSU Talisay Function Hall.
Led by Director Sheila Marie Hocson of the FEU Guidance and Counseling Office and Dr. Kenneth Ross Javate, Fellow in the Philippine Psychiatric Association and Philippine Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the workshop aimed to equip faculty and support staff with essential resources to identify and prevent suicide effectively.
Moderated by Aileen Alvarez Tranquilo and Emily Vingson, the training covered two modules focusing on recognizing symptoms of suicide and utilizing the IS PATH WARM (Ideation, Substance Abuse, Purposelessness, Anxiety, Trapped, Hopelessness, Withdrawal, Anger, Recklessness, Mood change) acronym for identification of suicidal behavior.
Through the RACE approach—Recognize, Assess, Convince, and Entrust—based on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), gatekeepers were equipped with practical tools to identify suicide risk. Attendees included psychology students, faculty, health staff, and guidance counselors from all four campuses, contributing to a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention within the university community. (by Zhybeille Nessia)
