{"id":460,"date":"2026-08-19T09:47:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/new-student-behavioral-health\/?page_id=460"},"modified":"2026-10-08T10:21:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T15:21:43","slug":"overview-of-rrr-approach","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/suicide-prevention-training\/overview-of-rrr-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Overview of the Recognize, Respond, Refer Approach and Glossary of Key Terms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Recognize,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Recognize<\/summary>
\n

Most people experiencing suicidal thoughts show outward signs that may alert you that they are in distress. Although some individuals might not show any signs, it\u2019s important to watch for common warning signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suicide Warning Signs<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Referencing or talking about suicide or a desire to not live anymore<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Out-of-character behavior, such as giving away possessions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Lowered self-worth or confidence; feeling like a burden; feeling hopeless<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Not showing up for obligations; isolating<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Changes in mood<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Eating or sleeping more or less<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Relationship difficulties; recent breakup or falling out<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Less attention to personal hygiene<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Using alcohol or drugs more frequently<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n
    Respond<\/summary>
    \n

    Once you are in a private, comfortable place, initiate a check-in:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Ask permission to check-in further.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Name the specific warning signs you have recognized.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      Tips for Responding<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Express concern directly and honestly. <\/strong>It is more important to demonstrate that you care and to use active listening skills than to avoid a conversation. Name what you have recognized and ask to check in further.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Listen without judgment.<\/strong> Listen with the intent to really understand what the other person is saying and feeling. Don\u2019t minimize or dismiss their experiences. Pauses and silence are okay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Demonstrate empathy. <\/strong>Thank them for sharing. Acknowledge their experiences and concerns as valid.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Offer hope. <\/strong>Reassure that help is available and ask permission to share resources. Let them know their life is important to you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Ask about suicide if you notice warning signs. <\/strong>This shows that you are ready to listen to their feelings and open to support them. Asking directly about thoughts of suicide can also help you determine the urgency of the situation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Reach out for help if necessary<\/strong>. Do not be sworn to secrecy. You can always consult with your university crisis line or counseling center.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n
        Refer<\/summary>
        \n

        For referrals to be helpful, they should ideally:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Be responsive to student beliefs and identities<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Be responsive to student needs, as understood by the student<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Be collaborative, not coercive<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Glossary of Key Terms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Active listening<\/strong>: Listening with the intent to really understand what another person is saying, rather than listening while thinking about your own feelings, opinions, or how you are going to respond. Active listening also includes an array of responses that demonstrate you are listening and understanding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Boundaries<\/strong>: Limits we identify in order to set reasonable and safe ways for other people to behave toward us. They vary from person to person based on their relationships, environments, and experiences. Healthy boundaries require attention and adjustment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Coping skills<\/strong>: Activities or strategies that can be used in the moment to lessen distress or manage strong emotions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Empathy<\/strong>: Understanding and sharing the feelings of another person.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Recognize<\/strong>: The process of identifying specific warning signs in people around you that suggest they may be thinking about suicide or are struggling with their mental health. Your role on campus and the situations in which you interact with students will influence what warning signs you might be able to recognize.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Refer<\/strong>: A collaborative and ongoing process of determining what resources will be most useful for a person and connecting them to those resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Reflections<\/strong>: Restatements of what someone has said in order to demonstrate that you were actively listening, and to ensure that you are accurately understanding the person\u2019s experience. Reflections of content involve restating the ideas or information the person has provided. Reflections of emotion involve inferring what the person is likely feeling, based on what they have said and how they have said it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Respond<\/strong>: Initiating a conversation with a student who may be in distress, using active listening, offering a non-judgmental and compassionate space, and asking directly about suicide when appropriate. Secondary stress: The physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged exposure to the distress of others. Someone experiencing secondary stress may also feel responsible for fixing other people\u2019s distress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Socioecological model<\/strong>: A model that considers the complex interplay between individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy factors. The nested rings illustrate how factors at each level can influence factors at another level. When applied to suicide prevention, the model suggests it may be helpful to act upon multiple levels at the same time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Stigma<\/strong>: Misinformed beliefs or attitudes that may result in harmful actions towards people with certain characteristics or experiences. Mental health stigma is when someone views a person in a negative way just because they have a mental health condition. Some people describe stigma as a feeling of shame or judgment from someone else or from society.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Suicide<\/strong>: Death caused by self-directed, injury-causing behavior that was intended to cause death.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Suicide<\/strong>\u00a0attempt<\/strong>: When someone harms themselves with the intent to die by suicide. An attempt may be fatal or non-fatal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Suicidal ideation<\/strong>: Thinking about, considering, or planning for suicide. In Recognize, Respond, Refer trainings, we use \u201csuicidal ideation\u201d and the phrase \u201cthinking about suicide\u201d to mean the same thing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Unconscious<\/strong>\u00a0bias<\/strong>: Biases are automatic associations about others that individuals make based on their own backgrounds, experiences, culture, as well as societal stereotypes. These predispositions toward something or someone tend to be unconscious\u2014that is, the individual is often not aware of these perceptions but they nonetheless shape behavior towards others.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Warning<\/strong>\u00a0signs [of suicide]<\/strong>: Indicators that someone may be at a more immediate risk for suicide and may need help<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Glossary of Key Terms<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6468,"featured_media":0,"parent":455,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-460","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":537,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/460\/revisions\/537"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/student-behavioral-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}