Garrett Lee Smith was the son of former United States Senator, Gordon Smith and his wife Sharon. As devout Mormons, well connected in the community, with access to medical care and resources, it was shock for Garrett’s parents to learn that their son said he had been suffering from depression since the age of 10. Having been diagnosed with dyslexia and other learning disabilities from a young age, Garrett’s route to adulthood was not easy.
After high school graduation, Garrett embarked on a two-year mission to England where his family reported that his mental state was generally positive, but that it rapidly deteriorated when Garrett returned to the United States to attend college in Utah. During his time in college, Garrett began to see a psychiatrist and take antidepressants hoping to stabilize, but by September 2003, he had stopped answering the phone and interacting with friends and family. One evening, Garrett fed his dog, wrote a note to his parents, unlocked the door and swallowed a large dose of pills after placing a noose around his neck. A friend found his body the next afternoon.
Following Garrett’s suicide, Gordon and Sharon Smith endured the unspeakable pain that no parent should experience, and through it, they were faced with a choice: would they retreat into their own grief or would they use their pain to help others and raise awareness?
“I didn’t volunteer to become a champion of this issue, but it arose out of the personal experience of being a parent who lost a child to mental illness and suicide,” said Gordon Smith, during the introduction of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act on the Senate floor 13 years ago. The Act, which is now a federally- funded suicide prevention program, was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 21, 2004.
Today, the act provides funding for mental health care, counseling services and suicide prevention programming on college campuses. Grants are distributed through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Donnelly College received one of these grants in 2013 to expand campus counseling services with the college’s first full-time licensed professional counselor.
A NATIONAL CRISIS
Unfortunately, Garrett Smith’s story is not uncommon. While most cases of mental illness do not result in suicide, his story highlights an issue that is prevalent on college campuses nationally. In a 2014 article published by Psychology Today, the author wrote, “it is neither an exaggeration nor is it alarmist to claim that there is a mental health care crisis facing America’s college students.” Donnelly College students are not exempt from this crisis; in fact, many are more at-risk given their demographics.
Susan Lechliter, TLPC, director of counseling center at Donnelly College, says that college students have a tremendous amount of stress to juggle.
“They are not only attempting to get an education but at the same time they are learning about the world of work, relationships, and earning a living,” she said. “Many of us forget most of the situations they will be facing are new to them; they are bombarded with situations and experiences they have never faced before and are not sure how to deal with them. All of this results in stress.”
ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH AT DONNELLY
College students on campuses across the country, including Donnelly, seek assistance and referrals for a variety of mental health issues, including depression, bipolar and mood disorders, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, developmental disabilities, domestic and family violence, obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, substance-related and addictive disorders, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Garrett came from a family of financial means. His parents were well connected to resources and medical professionals. While some Donnelly students come from similar circumstances, most do not. Many Donnelly students come from very low-income and/or immigrant families where mental health issues are often exacerbated by housing and food insecurity, cultural challenges, childcare and transportation problems, relationship/family problems and issues of trauma, grief and loss. On top of that, many of our students have been exposed to substance abuse, domestic violence, divorce and other adverse childhood experiences. Some have family members that have been incarcerated and many have been victims of physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
To address our students’ unique needs, Donnelly College’s Counseling Center was established in 2010 with two-year funding from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City. With those funds, Donnelly hired a part-time licensed professional counselor. Initial program goals included 1) assessing Donnelly student mental health needs, 2) improving campus-wide understanding of mental illnesses, symptoms and benefits of treatment, 3) increasing help-seeking behaviors for students with mental health needs and 4) improving coping skills for those living with mental illness.
In 2013, the three-year grant from SAMHSA allowed Donnelly to grow the LPC position to full-time and
to support a part-time intern. Under the SAMHSA grant, the Counseling Center implemented a general wellness and suicide prevention initiative called “Wellness for Life” designed to 1) create a climate of wellness for all students, 2) train “gatekeeper” faculty and staff, as well as peer helpers, to identify and refer students with mental health problems, and 3) strengthen and formalize the College’s networking infrastructure with area treatment and recovery support services, as well as other agencies/institutions dealing with mental health issues.
In 2016, the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City provided funding to sustain our general wellness and suicide prevention services as well as to expand clinical mental health and social work referral services to better meet students’ mental health and social service needs. With the help of two years of funding from the HCF, the counseling center has continued efforts to reduce stigma surrounding mental health issues as well as to expand general wellness programming and provide Donnelly students with crisis and drop-in counseling, social service referrals and ongoing clinical mental health treatment.
In addition to the services offered by the counseling center, as a faith-based institution with an active campus ministry, Donnelly also encourages students to seek assistance with their spiritual needs - which can play a role in their overall mental health. Regardless of what assistance Donnelly students choose to receive, our goal remains the same—to help each student on their journey to become the best version of themselves.
