“Hopeless.”

“Helpless.”

“No Sense of future.” 

“Want to change, but powerless.”

“Feels unconnected.”

These are just some of the reasons that Wyoming residents have called the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

“The CWCC Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call Center is Wyoming’s first certified National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,” the CWCC website states. “This hotline fields calls from all over Wyoming and, unlike many other 1-800 suicide hotlines, every professional that is called has a 307 number. That may not seem like much, but there’s something to be said about reaching out and knowing that you’re talking to somebody that lives where you live.”

In July of 2022, the Central Wyoming Counseling Center partnered with Wyoming Lifeline to offer Wyoming residents a crisis hotline at all hours of the day. Beginning on March 1, 2023, the two organizations will split the 24-hour timeframe equally, with Wyoming Lifeline crisis counselors operating from 2am-2pm and CWCC crisis counselors operating from 2pm-2am.

The CWCC Suicide and Crisis Lifeline began operations in August 2020. In the more than two years since its inception, the lifeline has offered support, resources, help, and hope to countless Wyomingites. In 2022 alone, CWCC took more than 2,000 calls via the Lifeline and now, in 2023 and beyond, it’s prepared to take even more. 

The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is Wyoming’s first local suicide call center and now, after two years of existence, it is expanding to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

988 is the three-digit, nationwide phone number that callers can dial to speak directly to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Residents can also reach out via text message, by texting 307-776-0610. 

Both the texting services and the 24/7 expansion have provided Wyoming residents even more of an opportunity to reach out when they need help. 

According to the CWCC website, “Calls and texts are answered by staff who are trained in all of the best practices regarding suicide prevention. They are certified and accredited through the National Suicide Prevention network as well. This means when somebody calls or texts, they are getting the absolute best of the best people to talk to.”

Staff at the CWCC call center and Wyoming Lifeline have been trained in various aspects of mental health and crisis situations. This includes suicide prevention, crisis intervention, domestic violence, human trafficking, veteran mental health, youth mental health, and more. Both phone calls and text messages are kept anonymous, to ensure absolute privacy. 

Now, with the expansion to 24/7, these trained technicians are able to talk people through difficult times and they’re able to put them in contact with services that could, quite literally, save their lives. 

To learn more about Central Wyoming Counseling Center and the services they offer, visit their website. 

To learn more about Wyoming Lifeline, visit their website or Facebook page.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or is contemplating suicide, you can call 988 or text 307-776-0610.

Article by Nick Perkins at K2 Radio  |  Published: February 22, 2023

The Central Wyoming Counseling Center offers a variety of services to Wyoming residents, including Outpatient Behavioral Health, Intensive Outpatient Treatment, Addiction Treatment, and more.

One of CWCC’s newest innovations is that of their Telehealth Services.

CWCC offers treatment and support services via a secure virtual environment. Their telehealth counseling option allows clients to receive or continue group-based and/or individual treatment without the need for an in-person visit.

“It’s new to us,” said Deb Phinney, the Director of Telehealth Services with CWCC. “In the last few months, we’ve been doing telehealth video-to-video through a secured platform. I have one therapist who is doing about three days a week of telehealth conferences. And what it’s doing is, it’s allowing us to have a little more flexibility in our hours, in our availability. We’re not going to be limited to the 8am-5pm brick and mortar timeframe.”

The telehealth program is convenient, for both clients and for therapists.

“Scheduling is a little bit easier with Telehealth, because the therapist actually does their own scheduling,” Phinney said. “So, it’s just more convenient and, at times, it can be more comfortable for the client. It’s easier access, because the client does not have to leave home or they can find a secure place at work or somewhere else where they have privacy. Plus, it eliminates the travel time.”

Phinney said CWCC started planning for this service during the summer, even going so far as to create a therapist position that would focus strictly on telehealth therapy. This is one of CWCC’s newest additions, and Phinney hopes that it will remain a fixture of CWCC’s services for the foreseeable future.

“I would like to have the access for our clients be much easier, so that they can get the services they need,” she stated. “The flexibility of having telehealth, in-person meetings, and a combination of both are very important. I think that in-person, face-to-face [communication] is still very important in the therapeutic process but there are barriers for people.”

Those barriers depend on the client, and on the day. Living in Wyoming, weather is constantly an issue to consider. So, too, still, is the issue of COVID-19. Both of these factors and a myriad of others can make it hard for a client to participate in in-person meetings, so the telehealth service exists to ensure that clients still get the help they need, when they need it.

CWCC would also like to utilize telehealth services for group therapy.

“I would really like to see a healthy hybrid mix of both the traditional, face-to-face, in-person therapy and telehealth access,” Phinney said. “I would also like to see some of our groups on a telehealth platform. I’d like our groups to have the same access. It’s much easier for someone to come to a group wherever they’re at, as long as there’s privacy. Rather than having to leave, get in their car, come up here for a group, and then go home. In terms of travel time, for some people, it’s pretty significant. Casper’s not big, but it still takes you 20 minutes to get from one side of town to the other. So, you’re cutting the client’s time down by eliminating that travel.”

Part of the introduction of these telehealth services is to further combat the stigma surrounding mental health and, more importantly, “asking for help.” For some people, it’s hard to ask for help from somebody face-to-face; to admit to somebody, in person, that you’re struggling.

This is especially true if you’re a young person.

Central Wyoming Counseling Center realizes this, and is working with the Natrona County School District, as well as a multitude of other community partners, to combat the stigma of mental health and to let people know, regardless of their age or position in life, that it’s okay to not be okay.

“We’re very heavily-based in school programs,” Phinney said. “With the different grants that we have that are all telehealth, we’re partnering with the school districts to do some activities that bring awareness to mental health and decrease the stigma. We’re in the process of putting together an alumni chapter for substance use; for anyone that has completed substance use treatment. It’s not just a focus on substance abuse; it’s also about mental health. We have dual diagnosis groups up and running again.”

That’s not all they’re doing, however. And the school district isn’t the only community partner they’re working with who will be utilizing telehealth services.

“We’re partnering with the Iris Clubhouse as well,” Phinney offered. “We’re involved in the community and leading the community movement to link different entities and facilities to offer more wraparound access for people. We’re working with the jails now, specifically for mental health, so that we can help those people who are incarcerated. I see us building access with some of these avenues that didn’t have access before we began using telehealth.”

Phinney stated that this is still a new program, and there are still some kinks to work out. Some people, for example, don’t have access to the technology needed for telehealth services. For now, however, clients can even come to CWCC and use their computers to participate in telehealth. CWCC is working on other solutions as well.

Asking for help is hard, sometimes. Some people are overcome with anxiety when surrounded by new people. These telehealth services are designed to help quell that anxiety; to give people an opportunity to reach out for help without even having to leave their homes.

“Help is at their fingertips,” Phinney said. “We have everything set up, including our intake paperwork, which can actually be emailed. We have a DocuSign capability, where clients can fill everything out and email it back to us. Really, from the start, it can all be done online. So, help really is at the tips of their fingers.”

Central Wyoming Counseling Center provides Residential Services to clients battling addiction issues and who are looking to reclaim their lives. These Residential Services include wings for men and women. The Menʼs Unit has 35 beds and the Womenʼs Unit has 29.

CWCC also offers special services to Residential clients, including:

• Mother and Child (newborn to 8 yrs) Beds
• Schooling/Daycare for the Children of Clients
• Case Management Services
• Parenting Skill Training
• Psychiatric Services
• And More

CWCC provides individual counseling and group counseling, teaching clients about the addiction process and how to deal with their mental health in a more productive manner. The therapists at CWCC work to deconstruct the symptom to find the root cause. CWCC also provides groups on cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as training specifically designed for parents. CWCC utilizes various therapists for both men and women. These individuals are specifically trained to help clients work through addiction issues and find healthy coping mechanisms.

CWCC consists of multiple levels of care: 1.0, 2.1, and 3.5. Our Residential Program is an ASAM Level 3.5. Clients will undergo an ASI (Addiction Severity Index) Evaluation to determine the level of care needed to address their issues. If clients reach a 3.5 level on the ASI, that is when Residential Treatment is offered. Residential Treatment typically lasts between 90 to 120 days, but it is progress-based. Clients will complete three different phases while in treatment, completing a variety of different assignments, such as writing an autobiography, addressing ʻThinking Errors,ʼ and speaking to the group about the ways their addiction has affected their lives and the lives of people around them.

Dan Farrer, the Director of Residential Services says that he believes the most important part of the CWCC Residential Services is its staff.

“Having staff that really care about the clients and want to help them make good changes, and helping them stay accountable is pivotal,” Farrer said. “CWCC has that. Our therapists are well-trained in being able to handle clients that struggle, and our therapists have good training when it comes to leading groups and being able to help clients work through their struggles and the different traumas that theyʼve experienced in the past. I think, ultimately, when you have a good set of therapists, a good set of techs, and good nurses…when we, as the staff, function well and weʼre well trained to help people grow, and to help people find that change…thatʼs what matters. Thatʼs the important part.”

Choosing to undergo treatment is not an admission of weakness. Asking for help is not a weakness. Itʼs a strength. Itʼs easy to ignore problems; to bury them in the bottom of a bottle and pretend that they donʼt exist. Itʼs east to ignore emotions. And the more you try to pretend like your problems arenʼt there, the more you feed your addiction. So when clients choose to come to treatment, when they choose to get help from the people who want to help you, itʼs a sign of courage; a sign of strength.

To learn more about Central Wyoming Counseling Center and all of the services they offer, visit cwcc.us.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or is contemplating suicide, you can call 1-800-273-TALK or text 307-776-0610.

If walls could talk, treatment and counseling centers would have stories that would break your heart. But they would also have stories of redemption – stories like that of Skyler Ray. Which is perhaps why Ray and his partner Kala Mulcahy travel around the country to different treatment and counseling centers, sharing their music with the residents there. 

But their music is more than just melodies and memories; it’s a way to tell their story. 

And what a story it is. 

Ray has lived hard. He grew up fast.

“I started young, drinking and smoking,” he stated. “And then around 18, I found myself homeless and, next thing you know, I was on meth. I went from smoking it to shooting it and I found myself sleeping in downtown Portland on the sidewalks, in the doorways.”

Inevitably, Ray said, he’d end up in jail. 

“I’d go do six months, get out for three days, do another nine months, get out for six days, then do another six months. I just couldn’t break the cycle. I found myself using it and selling it, just to support my addiction. And I finally found myself incarcerated for about five years.” 

And that could have been the end of his story. For many of his contemporaries, that would be the end. The addiction is too strong, the trauma is too deep, and there’s nothing to do but attempt to find peace at the bottom of a bottle or the tip of a needle. 

Skyler Ray was close, so close, to being a casualty of addiction; just another statistic. But something funny happened in that 8×10 jail cell. 

He found music and, in doing so, he also rediscovered himself.

“Every time I would be incarcerated before, I would always think, ‘When I get out, I’m gonna bet back to music,’” he said. “But every time I got out, I went back to the streets.  With that being said, this last time I was sitting in prison, I was sitting there and I was having the same conversation I found myself having 20 times prior. And I remember looking around and there was nobody there, I was talking to myself, and I was thinking ‘Why do I keep lying to myself? Who am I trying to impress?’ So I told myself that, when I got out, I was really gonna do it this time. And that was my moment of clarity.”

A moment of clarity is something that many addicts will eventually come across. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s that moment where you’re faced with a choice: do I keep going down the road I’m on, or do I turn left? Do I try to get off it? Do I take my life back? Can I take my life back? 

Ray did. And, in doing so, he chose to help others take back their lives as well. 

Ray left prison for the final time on November 30, 2018. And he hasn’t looked back. 

In the years since, he has focused primarily on his music, channeling his addiction and his trauma and his struggles and using them to tell powerful stories that, unfortunately, many people are able to relate to. 

“I came up with a gameplan,” he said. “I realized that I had to learn about myself in prison. I had to learn to love myself. That way, I’m really doing it for me, so I could keep an integrity about it. So what I do behind closed doors; the results will come to light. And so I took that time to build and I came out with an action plan. I lined my walls up with poster boards; from dream goals to long term goals to short term goals. 

And I really stuck with it. I didn’t cut corners.”

The results did come to light, they speak for themselves. Ray focused on his music, on his stories, and on bringing them to others. He has slowly but surely built a name for himself on the music scene, which is what led him to the Central Wyoming Counseling Center, as part of a nationwide tour that he and his partner have embarked on. 

And they wouldn’t have even heard of the little town of Casper, Wyoming if it weren’t for Jenny Hunter. 

Hunter and her husband lost their son, J.R., to suicide a number of years ago. Since then, Hunter has dedicated herself to suicide and mental health awareness campaigns, creating yearly events like ‘J.R.’s Hunt for Life,’ and even starting a podcast called ‘Safe Talk.’ 

It was on ‘Safe Talk’ that Hunter first spoke with Ray and Mulcahy, and that’s where the idea was born for them to come perform in Casper. 

“We have J.R.’s Hunt for Life and we have a support page that’s global,” Hunter said. “And we have several admins on the support page around the United States, and one of the admins in Texas, her name is Starr, found out about Skyler and she contacted him and told Skyler and Kala about J.R.’s personal story. And then they wrote a song regarding him and suicide and they posted it for me and it was very touching. It touched me because I know that addiction and alcoholism and things like that are precursors to suicide at times. And from there we just began a friendship.”

Hunter had both Ray and Mulcahy on her podcast and all three shared their stories with each other and with their listeners, and Ray explained that he and Mulcahy were in the middle of a tour. 

“They told me they were doing this recovery tour and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I would love to get you out here and talk to our people because with the stats in Wyoming, the suicide rate and that kind of stuff, I think you could be such an inspiration.’”

So, Jenny contacted Kevin Hazucha, the CEO of the Central Wyoming Counseling Center, and they put together a plan to bring the music duo to Casper. 

On July 5, 2022 Skyler Ray and Kala Mulcahy performed two sets for the residents of CWCC; one for the men and one for the women. 

“It went really well,” Ray said. “We went and performed for the males first, and then we did the ladies. And it was really cool. We made a nice connection. The guys showed a lot of love and it was really cute because on the way out, they clapped us out. They were really excited and that was really nice. A lot of people came up and they said they related to a lot of it. And I think it was, especially given the situation and what CWCC is and what the residents are going through to have to be there, it was really special.”

All of Ray’s songs are from the heart. They’re all stories that come from his life, and Mulcahy’s life. It’s tough stuff. It isn’t pretty. It isn’t wrapped up neatly with a bow. There’s a lot of trauma work in their music; a lot of vulnerability. And that’s exactly what the residents of CWCC needed. They needed to see that there was life beyond those walls; that they weren’t at the end of their story, they were at the beginning. 

“I try to let them know that if you slip up or you make a mistake or you stumble, like, get the help you need,” Ray said. “It’s okay to mess up. Don’t let that shame and that guilt hold you back from getting the help you need because you’re afraid of appearing weak. That’s what’s gonna kill us; that’s what’s gonna take us out.” 

That’s one of the big messages that Ray tries to impart on his audiences during his shows, and it’s an idea that is shared by the Central Wyoming Counseling Center; asking for help does not make you weak. In fact, it’s one of the strongest, most courageous things you could possibly do. 

That’s something that Ray had to do and, in doing so, he realized how strong he actually was. And that’s the message that he wants to promote to others, which is why he and Mulcahy choose to play at treatment centers instead of the typical bar and coffeeshop scene. 

“We played some bars, and that was cool, but we just thought we could make a bigger impact this way,” Ray said. “Like, if you know who you’re speaking to, then you know how to find them. So we thought it would make more sense because this is our journey and this is what we’re trying to say, so we should find the people that really want to hear it.” 

The residents at CWCC wanted to hear it; maybe not all of them, but definitely some of them. Because here’s the thing about addiction; it’s not a disease, it’s a symptom. It’s a symptom of something much deeper, much darker, much more insidious. It comes from trauma, from trying to bury something and keep it pushed way deep down, so that you don’t have to feel it. Most addicts turn to alcohol or drugs because they’re trying to avoid having to feel. Sometimes, the pain is too real, the voices are too loud, the reality is too harsh. So, we escape. But turns out, that escape route is actually a dead end in disguise. 

That’s something Skylar Ray eventually figured out. He finally got tired of trying to escape and he realized that the only way to get over his trauma was to go through it. So, he did. He traded in that bottle or that needle for a pencil, and he got to work. In doing so, he and his partner have produced a collection of songs that speak right to the heart and soul of those who are struggling. 

Skylar Ray and Kala Mulcahy brought a bit of light to the residents of the Central Wyoming Counseling Center. They showed them that they weren’t alone, that there was hope beyond those walls, and that they were worthy of love. It took Skyler a long time to figure that out for himself but, once he did, he knew that he’d spend the rest of his life helping others find their own worth. 

It’s been reported that an estimated 40 million people worldwide are victims of trafficking and exploitation. 

20% of those victims are children. 

For these reasons, and many more, it’s important to spread awareness about the issue of human trafficking. That’s exactly why Casper College and the Central Wyoming Counseling Center partnered together to offer a presentation on the subject at the Casper College Wellness Conference, which took place April 28-29, 2022.  

On Thursday, April 28 Rhonda Covington, a CWCC Therapist and a certified trainer with Love146 offered a presentation on Human Trafficking at the Gateway Building on the Casper College Campus. 

Love146 is an organization dedicated to ending child trafficking and exploitation, and it offers various training courses for people who are interested in raising awareness. 

Covington is one of those people.

“The course is designed by an organization called ‘Not a Number,’” Covington stated. “Love146 is their top-level organizational name, and the ‘Not a Number’ aspect ties into the human trafficking piece because their philosophy is that individuals are more than just a number.” 

But when it comes to things like human trafficking, using statistics is the fastest, and easiest, way to get a point across. Phrases like ‘An estimated 40 million’ or ‘20%,’ details just how many people are impacted by human trafficking. What we sometimes forget are the names, the people, the lives that make up those numbers. 

“When we think of human trafficking, we get that picture in our head of this unmarked white van where a guy will reach out and snag kids off the street or whatever,” Covington stated.

“But human trafficking is so much more.”

There’s the labor trafficking aspect of it, as well as the commercial sex standpoint; and just how the vulnerabilities that everybody has makes us susceptible to one or both of these, or even just exploitation in general.” 

So, what are some of those vulnerabilities? 

“Adolescence is a huge vulnerability,” Covington revealed. “If a kid comes from the system or has a history of abuse or neglect, or low self-esteem or loneliness, that’s a vulnerability. You also get a lot of kids today who are questioning their sexuality, and that makes them a very big target. So does homelessness, addiction, bullying, gang activity; even just being part of any marginalized population.” 

Covington said there are many different warning signs that somebody is either being trafficked or is susceptible to being trafficked. These signs can present themselves in a number of ways, from sudden shifts in mood, to being secretive about who they’re speaking to, to isolation, receiving unexpected gifts, and more. 

“Somebody’s there just building them up and feeding them all sorts of things so that they can sink their hooks in,” Covington said. 

Typically, she offered, the age range of those who are more prone to being trafficked is adolescence to early adulthood. 

“That’s just one of those vulnerabilities that makes that particular age group a target,” Covington stated. “Because they’re just wanting to fit in; they’re wanting to find their niche in the world. And so they’re willing to just do whatever. They act a lot on those empty promises because they don’t know any better.” 

Covington said that it’s even easier these days for young people to be swept up in the world of human trafficking, because social media has provided easy ways for strangers to communicate with children. Social media apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and more connect adolescents with a world far beyond their bedroom, their home, even their city or state. 

“The point to make is that it’s very unusual in this day and age to find the old-fashioned family structure, where the dad was the breadwinner and the mom stayed home,” Covington said. “That’s not common anymore. Most typically, both parents work. And so the kids spend a fair amount of time by themselves. And what do they do when they’re by themselves? They’re online.” 

All of those reasons are why the Central Wyoming Counseling Center partnered with Casper College to put this presentation on. It was designed to open up the conversation about a topic that seems like it could never happen. But it does. Far too often. Even in Wyoming. 

Covington said that she thinks “this subject is really important to our community because a lot of times, even I had the misconception that, ‘Hey, this is Wyoming. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen here. This is something that happens in the bigger cities, like Denver and Chicago; those types of places.’ “

“When you really start boiling it down and seeing exactly what human trafficking is and what it entails, Wyoming is extremely vulnerable.” 

And why is that? Why is Wyoming more susceptible to human trafficking, maybe even more so than bigger cities? 

And sometimes, they will jump without looking at where they could possibly land.“I think because we are a rural community, a lot of kids jump at the opportunity to get out of here and go see the world,” Covington said. And sometimes, they will jump without looking at where they could possibly land.

Human trafficking can, and has, happened in Wyoming and it’s important to know what we’re actually supposed to be looking for when it comes to this subject. That’s what the CWCC presentation at Casper College focused on. 

“We talked about exactly what human trafficking is, and broke it down,” Covington offered. “We learned about the differences between labor trafficking and commercial sex trafficking. We looked at defining the terms, keying in on the ideas of force fraud and coercion. We looked at what it means to consent. What does grooming mean? What is child labor exploitation and how does that tie into our child labor laws? We also discussed resources that we have. How do we get our youth help? How do we recognize the signs that we’re supposed to be looking for? We also focused on safety planning. What do we do with it? Where do we go with it?”

It’s an important subject and it’s a conversation that was long overdue. This was a chance for Wyomingites to be a part of the discussion, to learn about human trafficking and to help prevent human beings from becoming mere numbers.  

If you didn’t have the chance to attend the conference, or if you did and are just seeking more information about the various services that the Central Wyoming Counseling Center offers (such as addiction services, inpatient and outpatient therapy, crisis resources, and more), visit their website or call  307-237-9583. 

As pandemic-related mental health issues proliferate, advocates say the hotline provides an important safety net.

CASPER — As office workers across the city prepare to head home, the telephone operators at the Suicide Prevention Lifeline in Casper are just settling into their shifts — checking systems to ensure calls aren’t dropped, brushing up on training materials and reviewing calls from the past week. 

Housed in the Central Wyoming Counseling Center, a sprawling complex with soft light, artfully arranged houseplants and high-resolution nature photographs, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline is one of two statewide lifelines in Wyoming. The center is staffed by just four phone operators and Director Bernice Hazucha. 

The lifeline operates between 4 p.m. and midnight because those are “peak call hours,” according to Andi Summerville, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers. The state’s other lifeline,  which is based in Greybull, operates from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Right now, the two centers make sure that they’re not open at the same time so they can cover more hours,” Summerville said. “But even between those two centers, right now we don’t have 24/7 coverage.”

The services opened in August 2020, just as the pandemic exacerbated mental health problems for Wyoming residents from nurses, to educators to kids. The center’s first ever call came in at 4:01 p.m. on opening day and required an “active rescue,” meaning law enforcement had to be called because the caller’s life was at risk, Hazucha recalls. Her inaugural staff member wanted to leave because of the call’s intensity, she said, but she told the staffer: “No, we’ve got more to do.”

In March, the CWCC lifeline received 14 calls from adolescents. In April the call volume from kids more than doubled.

Advocates say the two state lifelines are crucial tools for addressing growing mental health needs in a state where health care resources are already stretched thin and safety nets are frayed. 

A labor of love

Hazucha thought she was headed toward retirement when her husband, Kevin Hazucha, agreed to take a job in Casper as CEO of Central Wyoming Counseling Center. The New York couple packed up and headed West in 2018. 

Back in New York’s Hudson Valley, Hazucha spent two decades working suicide hotlines and was suprised to learn her new home state, which consistently has one of the highest suicide rates per capita, did not have a statewide hotline. 

Hazucha applied her frenetic work ethic to changing that. 

She and Kevin met with Gov. Mark Gordon and other lawmakers in January of 2019 and soon after secured funding to open the state’s first suicide prevention hotline center by summer 2020. 

Two years on, Hazucha starts each work day around 8 a.m. from home answering emails and checking in with the night’s previous callers. Then she heads into the CWCC office to monitor and help out at the call center. She debriefs after active rescue calls that require law enforcement intervention, provides hotline workers tomes of training materials and listens in to make sure operators aren’t struggling with a call, jumping in if they are. 

“There’s a very short time period you have to make that connection,” Kevin Hazucha said. “And if you blow it, if you don’t do that and somebody hangs up, you’ve lost a real opportunity to save a life and to make a difference.” 

Bernice Hazucha is acutely aware of those stakes and makes sure her staff is too. “Your listening skills become very sharp,” she said. 

In the two decades Hazucha’s operated suicide hotlines, she’s lost two people, she said. The circumstances of those days are seared in her memory, and years later she vividly recalls the sudden silence engulfing the line after rushed pleas to tell family members that they were loved. 

Most days, she goes home when the center closes at 12 a.m.

Local voices make a difference

Wyoming residents can call the national suicide prevention lifeline, but advocates of state-based services say reaching an operator who lives in the state, and understands the nuances of life in Wyoming  — from winter conditions that make visiting a counselor in person impossible to struggling with feeling like an outsider in a small, isolated town — makes all the difference. 

“Somebody from Tallahassee, Florida that picks up isn’t going to understand the culture here,” Kevin Hazucha said. “They won’t understand what some of the barriers are.”

“It’s really great to have somebody to talk to,” Summerville said. “Sometimes that’s all it takes. But when there’s a higher need and services are needed, it’s really important that we have a call center in the state that knows where those resources are.” 

Because the lifeline in Casper is housed within CWCC, operators offer access to counselors or in-patient treatment at the center when needed, or connect callers with the other mental-health and substance-abuse treatment centers in the state. 

Ralph Nieder-Westermann, services director of Wyoming LifeLine, the state’s other call center, remembers one caller who told him, “‘But you don’t understand what it’s like, because you don’t live in a small town.’”

Nieder-Westermann told the caller he lived in Greybull, where only a couple thousand people reside. 

“I could sense her sigh of relief,” Nieder-Westermann recalled. “‘She said, ‘I didn’t know that I was going to get somebody local.’”

Expansion potential 

The hotline is open seven days a week, and the Hazuchas hope the American Rescue Act Plan dollars allocated during the 2022 legislative session will provide funding to operate 24 hours a day, rather than eight. The state has not yet made a formal request for proposals, Summerville said, but CWCC’s center is planning to apply once it does. 

With state funds, CWCC could hire more staff and expand hours. In July, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number will also transition to 988, which providers expect will eventually increase call volume. New geolocation technology will also accompany the 988 rollout, allowing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to route calls based on actual location rather than just area code.

In the meantime, the center will continue working with the resources it has managed to secure.

Hazucha’s eyes water and her voice cracks when she talks about spearheading the state’s first suicide prevention hotline, the ways she hopes to grow the center and perhaps even one day build up a team that would operate without her. 

“Talking about suicide, it’s not a fun thing, but it’s there,” she said. “That is where my passion arises because that’s where I grew. That’s what I love to do and the most rewarding thing is when you save that life.”

If you or someone you know needs to talk, you can call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or reach the Crisis Text Line by texting “WYO” to 741-741.

by Sofia Jeremias, WyoFile, May 17, 2022

Central Wyoming Counseling Center is partnering with numerous school districts in Wyoming to provide a variety of mental health services to students. 

CWCC has partnered with the Natrona County School District for a number of years, providing various counseling services to students, and they have just begun working with schools in Uinta County, Park County, and Bighorn County. 

In Uinta County, school districts have partnered with Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) to be able to utilize CWCC services. Project AWARE is a grant that was awarded by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to be able to “build or expand the capacity of State Educational Agencies, in partnership with State Mental Health Agencies overseeing school-aged youth and local education agencies.

Kevin Hazucha, the Chief Executive Officer of the Central Wyoming Counseling Center, said that he was approached by the Wyoming Department of Education, who asked if they were interested in providing these services to various school districts throughout Wyoming. 

Now, more than ever, students having access to mental health services is pivotal. The Wyoming Injury & Violence Prevention Program reported that in 2016, “Among Wyoming students 6^th-12^th grade, 20% reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide, and 10% reported they actually attempted suicide in the past 12 months.” In that same report, it was written that “Hospitalization rates related to self-harm are highest among youth and young adults, aged 15-19 years.”

“It’s really critical,” Hazucha stated. “We know, anecdotally, the number of calls we get in our suicide lifeline here from adolescents, from teenagers. We know that the suicide rate across the state is ridiculously high. We know what the issues are for teens and adolescents, and how difficult it is. So, I think it’s really important that we offer as much help to these school districts as we can.” 

Kimberly Cossin, the Outpatient Mental Health Coordinator for the Central Wyoming Counseling Center agrees.

“We hear quite consistently that kids are falling through the cracks, just because those resources aren’t there,” Cossin stated. “Their parents are working two jobs, there’s six other siblings, they can’t afford that $20 bucks to go see a counselor. This program offers the ability for parents to be involved, but not financially liable, so they don’t have that extra burden.” 

This partnership between CWCC and the school districts will benefit the parents financially, in that they won’t have to pay for counseling out of pocket for their children, but it will also benefit them in terms of travel, time constraints, and more. 

“Our services pretty much look like outpatient counseling, but we fill in the gaps for transportation and for finances by doing it in the school buildings themselves,” Cossin stated. “Right now, we have a partnership with the Natrona County School District counselors, in which, if there’s someone that needs more intensive help and parents don’t have insurance, the school district has a budget specifically pertaining to these services. We can bill insurance, but anything in terms of co-pay or a deductible comes from the school district.” 

CWCC has 8 counselors that they will be sending to work in the schools, and they will partner with the schools’ own counselors to provide the best type of services to students. Uinta, Park, and Big Horn Counties will utilize 3 counselors, and Natrona County will use 5. Cossin emphasized that these services don’t just involve a student meeting with a counselor once a week, either. 

“It’s not just the counseling piece,” she stated. “It’s also case management. We have case managers that we’re looking at implementing in homes and in the community. It could just be helping them navigate an MDT meeting, or offering resources that parents wouldn’t otherwise know about. It’s partnering with Mercer House, or maybe the kiddo just needs help with a 504 because the anxiety is just too bad. It’s a lot of different things.” 

What’s important to note is that counseling sessions in Uinta, Park, and Big Horn Counties, at least for the time being, are provided via tele-health. Because the schools in these counties are somewhat isolated, CWCC wants to make sure that students can still receive help, regardless of weather conditions or any other unforeseen circumstance. 

“The goal of this is to offer help to students,” Hazucha said. “And the byproduct of that would be having more people talking about suicide, more people talking about behavioral health issues, more people accepting help, and ultimately reducing the stigma of needing help or getting help. I hope this opens discussions about the struggles that people are having, and that it would translate into a healthier community, healthier kids, and healthier families.” 

Cossin stated that the stigma surrounding mental health is still one of the biggest challenges CWCC faces, especially when working with adolescents. 

“I think, especially for the kids, removing that stigma and allowing them to be able to speak to their parents without feeling like it’s attention seeking is pivotal,” she stated. “That’s the biggest thing that I hear in the school districts; ‘is this attention seeking or is it not?’ This whole thing is more about teaching teens how to step into a relationship with mental health, and not being afraid of talking about it.” 

Mental Health is not a dirty word. It doesn’t need to be a stigma anymore. This is especially true given the current climate of the world. Isolation is at an all-time high due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More and more teenagers are escaping into themselves and shutting out the world around them. Additionally, sexual orientation and gender identity are playing critical roles in the mental health of young people. According to The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS), “In 2015, Wyoming High School students who self-identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual were significantly more likely to report they had seriously considered attempting suicide (54%) or had attempted suicide (37%) in the past twelve months compared to students who identified as heterosexual (16% and 11% respectively).”

For these reasons and so many more, being able to offer mental health services to students in Wyoming is vital to both the school districts and CWC. There’s no shame in asking for help and now, through this partnership, it’s easier than ever for students to find sanctuary in the halls of their schools. 

To learn more about Central Wyoming Counseling Center and all of the services they offer, visit cwcc.us. 

If you or someone you know is in crisis or is contemplating suicide, you can call 1-800-273-TALK  or text 307-776-0610.