When 26-year-old Amber Kosloske of Colorado Springs attempted suicide a few years ago, she didn’t have the time or capacity to try to find resources that could help her.
“When people are in high crisis, they’re panicking, and in that space they need something that’s easy to access,” she said.
Now, as a licensed professional counselor and the owner Convenient Colorado Counseling, a private practice that provides 100% telehealth counseling with specialization in suicide and self-harm prevention and related issues, Kosloske said she realized there wasn’t one place ate people could easily locate online local agencies, organizations and other materials that provide immediate and ongoing assistance.
On Tuesday, Kosloske unveiled an online suicide resources web page at https://convenientcoloradocounseling.com/colorado-suicide-resources/.
The suicide resource directory enables users to select their county and find state and local crisis services, inpatient centers, suicide-specific treatment and care, and other mental health resources.
“Sometimes there’s a disconnect between outpatient and inpatient providers, and I hope this directory will bridge that and further provide continuity of care and referrals between the two,” Kosloske said.
“We have so many amazing resources in Colorado that we don’t always know about each other as providers, so silos happen — not for lack of wanting to know about each other — and we need to build awareness.”
For years, Colorado has ranked poorly, in the top 10 in the nation, for its high number of deaths by suicide, which is the state’s eighth leading cause of death.
“The more limelight we can shine, the more it’s going to help,” Kosloske said. “Keeping the conversations going is so important. That’s what’s going to help our numbers go down.”
Kosloske said she’s also working on a new podcast series to keep dialogue going.
