Community Counseling Center raises awareness on the ongoing fight against suicide
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) –Communities across the viewing area are breaking the silence during the month of September.
For years suicide has been a subject cloaked in silence, but organizations are working to break the stigma.
According to the CDC suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., and in 2023, the United States saw 49,000 deaths by suicide.
That’s one death every 11 minutes.
This is why organizations like the Community Counseling Center are working hard throughout the month of September to connect people to awareness and resources.
Shawni Butler is the Emergency Services Supervisor for CCC.
“Suicide can impact anybody, regardless of your history, your backgrounds” says Butler.
In Southeast Missouri a quiet revolution is taking shape. A movement to shatter the stigma surrounding mental health and bring hope to those who feel unseen.
September marks Suicide Awareness month. Communities across the area are stepping forward to speak out and remind one another that every life matters.
“Yeah, it’s very important to create awareness for suicide prevention” says Butler. “The biggest barrier to suicide prevention is silence. So, we need to talk about it more,”
People die by suicide every day, but experts say the most powerful tool in prevention isn’t a medical breakthrough, its conversation, compassion and connection.
Butler says the Community Counseling Center offers multiple resources including free training that provides education on recognizing the signs of suicide, the SEMO suicide prevention walk, 9-8-8 lifeline and more.
They also hold a “Thrive Conference”, which is typically held every year in the spring. Butler shares details of the next upcoming conference.
“It’s going to have a variety of different topics at our conference because again, it wants to cover everything that is behavioral health recovery wellness. So that’s anything from mental health to substance use to maybe child adolescents’ issues and I think we are going to have a youth track event next year. There’s going to be a variety of different breakout sessions.”
Mental health advocates stress that small gestures such as a text or just simply listening can make all the difference. The 988-suicide hotline is available 24 hours a day to connect you to local resources.
The Community Counselor Center has mobile crisis workers who are readily available in times of crisis.
“You know, our physical health, we have to maintain our physical health and, you know, if that’s creating diet and exercise programs to improve your physical health, we have to do things like take care of ourselves, do coping skills and things like that to help improve our mental health. Or we can struggle because sometimes life is difficult. That’s where those thoughts of suicide come from. So, the more that we educate people that this can be a normal feeling, the more that we’re going to save lives because we’re reducing the stigma that makes them feel shameful for even having the thoughts to begin with” says Butler.
The Community Counseling Center offers resources in Bollinger County, Cape Girardeau County, Madison County, Perry County, and Ste. Genevieve County.
For more details:
Behavioral Health Services – Community Counseling Center –
Contact – Community Counseling Center
