- Kognito At-Risk is a 45- minute, online, interactive gatekeeper intervention training program that teaches students, faculty, and staff how to identify individuals exhibiting signs of psychological distress such as depression.
- The trainings will also help people approach individuals to discuss their concerns; and make referrals to Texas A&M Counseling and Psychological Services and other community resources.
- There are two versions you can use: At-Risk Peer Training for current college students & At-Risk for Faculty & Staff for A&M faculty and staff.
- The Suicide Awareness Prevention Office has reached out to both the First Year Experience Office and the Veteran Resource & Support Center regarding implementing Kognito-At-Risk training in an official capacity at the university.
Search Results for: Kognito
Register for a Free Kognito Account
If you require alternative means for access, please email Dr. Santana Simple for assistance.
First time visit
Regular log-in page
Step 2:
Create Your Account
- Create a Username & Password
- Input your name and Email
- Agree Check Terms & Conditions Boxes
Step 3:
Select Student or Employee
Step 4:
Complete Kognito Training
Coping During COVID-19
Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has been stressful for many people and communities. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause a host of emotional responses. This page suggests ways to care for your mental health during these experiences and provides resources for more help. It also describes feelings and thoughts you may have during and after physical distancing and/or self-isolation.
During/After Physical-Distancing & Social-Isolation:
Adapted from the CDC and SAMHSA
What To Expect: Typical Reactions
Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations such as an infectious disease outbreak that requires social distancing and/or self-isolation.
People may feel:
- Anxiety, worry, or fear related to your own health status
- Concern about effectively managing your life demands while choosing to isolate for your own safety and safety of others
- Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and loneliness associated with feeling cut off from the world and from friends and family
- Stigmatized or singled-out
- Anger and frustration about having your movements in the world confined to one space.
- Boredom and frustration because you may not be able to work or engage in regular day-to-day activities
- Uncertainty or ambivalence about the situation
- A desire to use unhealthful coping behaviors that interfere with normal sleeping, eating, and self-care behaviors such as excessive late nights, over-eating, and excessive use of substances.
- Symptoms of depression, such as feelings of hopelessness, changes in appetite, or sleeping too little or too much
- Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as intrusive distressing memories, flashbacks (reliving the event), nightmares, changes in thoughts and mood, and being easily startled
What to Expect after Time Spent in Self-Isolation
- It can be normal to feel singled-out and worried about how others may view and interact with you
- Talk to others about your experience and how you are feeling
- Re-engage in your daily routine: go to class, exercise, study, reconnect with others, etc…
- Seek help if you feel distressed, anxious, depressed, and/or are having difficulty sleeping
Ways To Support Yourself
- Connect with others: Reaching out to people you trust is one of the best ways to reduce anxiety, depression, loneliness, and boredom during social distancing and isolation. You can use the telephone, email, text messaging, and social media to connect with friends, family, and others
- Talk “face-to-face” with friends and loved ones using Skype or FaceTime
- Avoid excessive exposure to media coverage of the coronavirus
- Maintain a routine and take care of your body:
- Stick to a scheduled sleep routine
- Eat healthy and avoid excessive use of caffeine, alcohol, or other substances
- Infuse some variety into daily activities
- Read
- Do homework… stay connected with professors by email and keep up with classwork
- Television
- Time spent in meditation or just taking deep breaths and stretching
- Journal about your experience during this time
- Monitor time spent on social media
- Engage in or develop a hobby… try something new you have not tried before to challenge yourself
- Identify things you are hopeful for and grateful for in life.
- Though time may seem to move slowly during this period, it does move and this will come to an end. Keep a calendar and mark off days to show/remind yourself that time does pass
- Expect that this may be challenging at times and it is normal to feel a variety of emotions. Be sure to talk about how you are feeling with others. FOMO is a normal thing to feel… use social media sparingly if you start feeling this way and turn your attention to things you enjoy and have conversations with others.
How to Support Someone Engaging in Self-Isolation
- Stay connected daily
- Ask about how someone is doing and normalize feelings of anger, frustration, worry
- Don’t try to fix these feelings while also reminding them that you care about them and that this will pass
- Remind them to engage in healthy routines such as regular sleep patterns, eating healthy, and adding variety to their daily activities
- Stay positive
- Use Kognito At-Risk Training to learn more about how to support others in distress tamu.edu/register-for-a-free-kognito-account/
Resources for Coping:
- Helplines:
- HelpLine remains operational from 4 p.m.- 8 a.m. weekdays and 24 hours weekends. Call 979-845-270 to talk about anything from anywhere.
- Texas Health and Human Services COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line - 24/7, toll-free at 833-986-1919
- SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline - 24/7, 1-800-846-8517, Text TalkWithUs to 66746
- Anxiety:
- 7 Science-Based Strategies to Cope with Coronavirus Anxiety - from The Conversation website
- Managing Coronavirus Anxiety: 10 Practical Suggestions - from clinical psychologist Nick Wigwall, Ph.D.
- Living With Worry And Anxiety Amidst Global Uncertainty - a free guide from Psychology Tools
- What to do if Coronavirus Health Guidelines Trigger OCD/Anxiety
- The Difference Between Worry, Stress, and Anxiety - from The New York Times
- Grief:
- Grief in the Midst of COVID-19 - from Psychology Today
- Perspective: The Six Stages of Coronavirus Grief - from EducationNC
- Uncertain Times — Coping With Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic - from Social Worker Today
- Frequently Asked Questions about Ambiguous Loss - from Ambiguous Loss
- Mental Health & Wellness:
- Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19 - guidance from the CDC
- Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty - tips from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Tips for Managing Stress and Worries - from the Jed Foundation
- The Science of Well-Being - a free Coursera online course
- Building Your Resilience - from American Psychological Association
- Meditation/Relaxation:
- Free Guided Meditations (English/Spanish) - from the UCLA Mindful Awareness Resource Center
- How to Meditate for College Students Stuck at Home - from the Manhattan Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Relationships/Connection:
- In the Therapy Zoom: 5 Lessons Coronavirus Can Teach Us All - from counseling psychologist Miranda Nadeau, Ph.D.
- How to Keep Relationships Strong While Social Distancing - from NICABM
- Love is Louder - a project of the Jed Foundation for coping and staying connected
- Seize the Awkward - from the Jed Foundation
- Additional/Miscellaneous:
- Five Ways to View Coverage of the Coronavirus - from the American Psychological Association
- Additional Resources from the American Psychological Association
Promoting Mental Health in Response to COVID-19
This video is designed to normalize and validate TAMU students’ emotional experiences in regards to COVID-19. In addition to providing students with support, this video discusses healthy ways to take care of your mental health, while practicing physical distancing, and resources to cope. We also provide information regarding overall wellness and ways to actively engage in self-care.
Suicide Awareness & Prevention
A Simple Conversation Can Help Save a Life
The Suicide Awareness & Prevention Office offers a variety of services for individuals, programs, departments, and student groups. Knowing the signs of suicide is important in helping someone who may be at risk. By offering your understanding, reassurance, and support, you can help your loved one or friend seek the help they need.
Aggies Reaching Aggies
Aggies Reaching Aggies is a brand-new Suicide & Prevention Peer Educator Program. Volunteers will facilitate Gatekeeper presentations on the topic of suicide prevention, support, and mental health to fellow students.
Suicide Awareness Month
This month is dedicated to bring awareness on campus and help end the stigma about suicide. We will have a variety of programs and events for students, faculty, and staff. Please stay tuned for more details!
Training
Empower yourself to recognize and help those who are struggling by becoming more informed and prepared through our various training opportunities. Learn more about QPR training, Campus Connect, Gatekeeper 2.0, and Kognito.
Support
Counseling & Psychological Services offers many services to help support Texas A& M University students. Learn more about crisis intervention, group counseling, individual counseling, and workshops.
Warning Signs
There’s no single cause for suicide. Suicide most often occurs when stressors converge to create an experience of hopelessness and despair. Learn more about the warning signs of suicide and how you can be more prepared.
Survivors of Suicide Loss
If you have lost a loved one to suicide, you are not alone. Losing a loved one to suicide is a devastating loss that shatters our sense of a predictable world. It may take time, but it is possible to heal from this loss. Learn more about the support offered for survivors of suicide loss.
Volunteer
HelpLine provides, by telephone, peer support, information, referrals, and crisis assessment and intervention for Texas A&M students. HelpLine is open from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekdays, and 24 hours a day on the weekends. Learn more about HelpLine.
Suicide Awareness Event Highlights
The Suicide Awareness & Prevention Office hosts various events throughout the year to raise awareness about suicide prevention and support those who have been impacted by suicide.
Make a Donation
The CAPS Excellence Fund supports Suicide Awareness & Prevention programs as well as overall mental health initiatives for Aggies. Please consider donating to one of the many organizations that contribute to efforts to prevent suicide.
Suicide Awareness & Prevention Trainings
Suicide Awareness & Prevention Trainings
A Gatekeeper is anyone who recognizes when someone is in distress and intervenes to get them connected to resources. QPR Gatekeeper Training, Campus Connect Gatekeeper Training, and Gatekeeper 2.0 offer various perspectives in how to support someone who is emotionally distressed or in crisis.
QPR (Question Persuade Refer) Gatekeeper Training
QPR offers a traditional approach to understanding the impact and prevalence of suicide as well as intervention tools. This interactive training prepares students, faculty, and staff to recognize the warnings signs, know what to say to someone who might be at risk for suicide and where to refer individuals for help.
Summer '23 Open Session QPR Gatekeeper Trainings:
- Monday, June 5th from 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 26th from 12:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. (Virtual)
Campus Connect (Student Gatekeeper Training)
Campus Connect is an interactive training specifically for college students that provides participants opportunities to enhance their knowledge, awareness, and skills concerning college student suicide. This training focuses on increasing gatekeepers’ knowledge about students in a suicidal crisis, developing empathic listening and communication skills, and how to compassionately and directly ask students about their suicidal thoughts.
Summer '23 Open Session Campus Connect Gatekeeper Trainings:
- Wednesday, June 21st from 5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. (Virtual)
- Thursday, July 20th from 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Gatekeeper 2.0
Gatekeeper 2.0 offers participants (students, faculty and staff) who have already completed QPR or Campus Connect a chance to refresh their skills and reflect on the challenges of talking about suicide. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss if/how they have used their previous training in a confidential environment. Additionally participants will gain confidence through additional practice and a deeper dive into information about suicide and counseling.
Summer '23 Open Gatekeeper 2.0 Trainings:
- Tuesday, July 11th from 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Kognito At-Risk Training
According to the American Association of Suicidology, 86% of college students who died by suicide did not seek campus counseling prior to their death. Given this statistic it is necessary for members of the campus community to learn to recognize and support students who are in distress.
Kognito At-Risk is a 45-minute, online, interactive gatekeeper intervention training program that teaches students, faculty, and staff how to identify individuals exhibiting signs of psychological distress, including depression; approach individuals to discuss their concerns; and make referrals to Texas A&M Counseling and Psychological Services and other community resources. There are two versions you can use: At-Risk Peer Training & At-Risk for Faculty & Staff.