Suicide prevention task force: Remember to pause

A local suicide prevention task force hopes to implement a new program to help people manage mental health amid the stress and anxiety of a pandemic.

The Whitman County Suicide Prevention and Resiliency Task Force begins training this month to learn more about “Practice the Pause,” a program promoted by the Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health.

Whitman County Coroner Annie Pillers said the task force, of which she is a member, is focused on spreading its message to schools, churches, senior centers and youth groups.

“It’s really about finding skills for managing emotions and building resilience, which is right where we need to be as a community,” Pillers said.

The GCACH website says this program is designed to help people avoid acting without thinking when they are feeling stressed, unhappy or afraid.

“By practicing the pause, we are encouraging ourselves to stop in the moment between a feeling and a reaction to think about what we’re feeling and why,” the website says. “This pause allows us to understand what may be causing our reaction and choose how we want to respond.”

Pillers said the goal is also to educate people on how to be of help to a friend or neighbor who is struggling mentally.

Mike Berney, executive director of Palouse River Counseling, said some people feel uncomfortable with talking to a counselor and would rather talk to their neighbor about their problems.

“That’s again one of the exciting pieces about this kind of approach,” said Berney, who is working with the task force on the program.

There are Practice the Pause programs for 5-12 year olds, teens and adults. The Catholic Charities of Spokane is also involved in the training.

Berney said partnerships between organizations in Whitman County will help spread the message.

“We have this mechanism in Whitman County to distribute this program very widely and very quickly,” Berney said.

He called this effort a public health response and Whitman County Public Health Director Chris Skidmore agreed. Skidmore said the county in general is seeing a much more pronounced demand for mental health services.

Berney said he has seen an increased demand for Palouse River Counseling’s services in the past month.

“At Palouse River Counseling, we’ve seen a huge increase in the last 3-4 weeks at least of people requesting service from us,” Berney said.

His staff has also been in contact with private counseling practices in the community who are reporting that they are experiencing an increase in patients as well.

“Everything I’ve heard from them is they’re full and they’re over-full,” he said.

Berney said health experts predicted an increase in people experiencing anxiety and depression during the pandemic and what he has seen in Whitman County is consistent with those predictions.

He said the coping mechanisms that used to work for people in the past are no longer working, especially if they’ve experienced a death in the family, a loss of a job or loss of income.

Pillers said the people can make a big difference if they do simple acts like checking in on their friends or neighbors.

“Just being present to each other,” she said.

Berney said during the pandemic people need to make more of an effort to think positively, help others and find activities that help themselves feel happier.

For more information on Practice the Pause, visit gcach.org/practice-the-pause.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.