This afternoon, U-M's Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) will bring together the campus community in a show of support for students in severe distress. As part of CAPS's "Messages of Hope" suicide prevention project, they are inviting all of us to participate in writing messages that communicate hope and encourage resilience in students experiencing a mental health crisis. CAPS has already gathered hundreds of inspiring student-to-student messages that can be viewed in their Facebook photo album. The goal of "Tile Day" is to collect at least 1,000 new handwritten Messages of Hope to be displayed in the CAPS office.

As teachers, we are often among the first to see signs that a student is struggling. U-M instructors are lucky to have a range of excellent resources to which they can refer students when they need additional support or mental health services. The CAPS website offers guidance for faculty and staff, including suggestions for reaching out to students you're concerned about to connect them with appropriate campus resources.  

Teachers can play an important role in supporting the mental health and well-being of our students. Today we can focus our energies on giving hope to students in the greatest moment of crisis by participating in this suicide prevention effort. Here are the details for Tile Day:

• Friday, January 25
• Drop by 12-5pm
• CSG Chambers, 3rd Floor of Michigan Union
• Light refreshments will be served 

You can learn more about the Messages of Hope project on the CAPS website. 
(Photo credit: Kristin Kurzawa)