U.S. Student-athletes Aren`t Immune From Suicide Risk. Colleges areTaking Notice.

.......... Student-athletes can also seek free help from the university`s mental health professionals or providers in the community under contract with the University of Wisconsin athletics department. And some women`s cross-country athletes at the school now keep an eye on their teammates when coaches aren`t around, letting the team`s liaison know if they`re concerned about someone`s mental health.

"We don`t want anyone slipping between the cracks," said teammate Maddie Mooney. "It`s a hard time for everybody, and everybody grieves at different paces and processes things differently."

Teammate Victoria Heiligenthal, who shared a house with Shulze, said she avoided talking to campus counselors for months after her close friend died. "I only wanted to be alone or be with my friends who really understood the situation," she said.

Heiligenthal couldn`t bear to stay in the home where she and Shulze had lived, so the university put her and Mooney up in a hotel for a week, and then she stayed awhile at Mooney`s apartment. Once back in her own place, teammates, coaches, training staff, and psychologists checked in on her and Mooney.....

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Bethany`s Notes: Helping a team heal after a suicide is a hard step. It`s essential students have resources and people to go to. In addition, everyone will grieve differently and at different times. Be honest, open, and vulnerable.