Helping a Friend

Seawolves care for and look after their friends. There are various ways to help a friend from immediate actions to preparing in advance through bystander intervention programs. This website has some tips on how to help a friend in need.

 

Emergency or Immediate Situation 

If your friend is disclosing thoughts about hurting themselves or someone else contact University Police immediately at (631) 632-3333. If you are off-campus call 911. 

Students can call Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Crisis Line and speak to a licensed mental health counselor anytime, day or night. To do so, call CAPS at (631) 632-6720 or (855) 509-5742.

 

TalkNow

Talk to a mental health professional about anything your mind. TalkNow is available 24/7 for all registered students. 

 

Bystander Intervention Trainings

Learn how to intervene in situations around sexual violence or domestic violence through our Green Dot training. The program teaches students how they can help a friend in a risky situation.

Learn how to notice the signs of toxic drinking and how to call for help for a friend that has had too much to drink with our Red Watch Band training. RWB teaches students how to identify high risk environments, myths to sobering up and role plays how to call for help in a alcohol related emergency. 

Learn how to notice the signs of someone struggling with mental health issues such as suicide through our QPR training. QPR stands for Question, Persuade and Refer-- the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent a suicide. People trained in QPR learn about the causes of suicidal behavior, how to recognize the warning signs that someone needs help, and how to connect people with appropriate mental health care.

 

Seawolves  UpStander Award

Stony Brook students complete all three bystander Intervention training programs are awarded the Seawolves UpStander Award during the Spring semester of their senior year.