TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — September is Suicide Prevention Awareness month, and Troy University wants to remind students of the different services it offers to help students who are going through a mental health crisis.

According to Dr. Channukah Anderson, who is the director of technology and assessment, sometimes it is the friend who would lest expect that needs the most help.

“It was a very close and personal friend who passed away by suicide,” Anderson said. “This was a close friend who was always the cheerleader of the group, but in reality for them they were struggling.”

Anderson urges students who are dealing with suicidal thoughts or feelings to seek help.

“On our campus, there are a variety of resources that are available to students,” Anderson said. “There are a great number of people that students can go to.

“Sometimes they’re afraid; sometimes they’re scared, but just knowing that you do have those outlets, that there are opportunities where you can reach out; you can say something.”

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One avenue students who want someone to talk to can take is Troy University’s Counseling Services.

“Between our in-person counseling options and our virtual mental health options, we can serve almost all student needs,” said Title IX Coordinator Grace Wagstaff. “What we really love about both of these options is that the counseling center is plugged in here on campus and timely care, even though it’s virtual, plugs students in on campus and with our on-campus resources.

“We try to create a system where nobody falls through the cracks; everybody can go to somebody that leads them to a human that can be a helpful resource for them.”

Students can find the Timely Care app, which allows virtual appointments, on either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. For an in-person appointment, scheduling is as simple as picking up the phone.

“To get access to either one of these resources, you can find all of the information on the student counseling website, which is on the student tab on mytroy.edu,” Wagstaff said. “All the info is there, and you don’t have to remember a whole lot.

“All you need to do to schedule a counseling appointment is to call and make an appointment. You don’t have to have documentation when you walk in or a diagnosis to have an appointment.”

For some, suicide prevention awareness month is a reminder of those they have lost and how they live through the grief.

“There is that process of grief,” Anderson said. “I think everyone goes through that process of grief, but it’s also understanding that, at some point, you can’t blame yourself.

“We will all question and wonder: could I have done more? Is there more that I could do? Is there something else I could have said? Is there something else I could have done? In realizing that, we also have to celebrate life; we also have to celebrate the life that those individuals lived.”

To contact the counseling center call (334) 670-3700. If you are going through a severe mental health crisis, the suicide prevention hotline phone number is 988.