 Volume 1, Issue 6 | December 2025 | Special Wellness Issue
"When you are tempted to give up, your breakthrough is probably just around the corner."
- Dr. Joyce Meyer
Especially during this season of light, it is important to do check-ins with your friends, your family, and yourself — and even those you may encounter by chance at the grocery store, shopping for presents, or attending special events. It only takes a moment to offer a kind greeting or ask “how are you doing?”
A central theme of the WY We Care Initiative (WWCI) is: A moment can save a life. Showing concern for another may truly mean the difference between life or death for a person contemplating doing harm to themselves.
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I am honored to continue partnering with communities, law enforcement, healthcare providers, clergy, good samaritans, school counselors, teachers, and Veterans Talking To Veterans to address Wyoming’s mental health crisis and high suicide rates.
Working together, it is assuring our suicide rates have declined— though much work needs to be done in order to shift our cowboy mindsets of extreme self-reliance to include a culture comfortable with self-care, and community care and action.
"Working together, it is assuring our suicide rates have declined — though much work needs to be done."
Free Online Training Praised
One central component of the WWCI is our free online training for all Wyoming residents.
Offerings include the 90-minute awareness class and an in-depth 6-hour course. People who have taken the training express gratitude and a feeling of greater preparedness if the need arises to help loved ones, friends, work colleagues, students, and congregants suffering mental hardships.
Key tenets learned during my work with the WY We Care Initiative and from other Wyoming mental health care professionals are:
"It's okay not to be okay": We must all work together to normalize seeking help; our strong individualistic culture can foster isolation and reluctance to ask for assistance.
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Community-based solutions are essential: Addressing mental health starts with community. Neighbors helping neighbors is a critical part of the solution.
A Home-state Voice Helps: Call, Chat, or Text 988: The 988 Lifeline is staffed 24/7 with trained professionals and volunteers living here in Wyoming. Some in the legislature were hesitant to fully fund the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Hopefully political divisions and the focus on cutting government programs and budgets will be set aside for this essential service.
Suicide is a "social issue". I’ve also learned from suicidologists and care providers that suicide is complex; it is not simply a mental health issue but often a social issue. As such it requires community-wide engagement and support.
"I'm asking Wyoming citizens to get or stay involved."
Support for lowering suicide rates at the community level continues to be evidenced at the turn-out for engaging, transparent town meetings, in our church communities, veterans' meetings, and schools, often led by Community Prevention Specialists across our state.
Thankfully, Wyoming law establishes a suicide prevention program that includes initiatives for schools, such as mandatory mental health training for certain personnel and the inclusion of the 988 Lifeline number on student ID cards. Student education on suicide prevention and allowances for excused mental health absences are also part of this approach. requires community-wide engagement and support.
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“Your mental health is everything — prioritize it, make the time like your life depends on it, because it does.”
- Mel Robbins
I’m asking all Wyomingites to get or stay involved — helping each other this season and beyond. Veterans Talking to Veterans, as I’ve noted many times, is an exemplary outreach effort — that provides care beyond its ranks to also help in instances where civilian circumstances warrant.
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“If you feel toxicity hijacking your precious mind and time, change the channel, end the phone call (politely), block angry, sarcastic posts, stop scrolling.”
Guard Your Hearts and Minds: Like many I hear from, I am deeply saddened that political polarization has come to roost in Wyoming — we’ve heard it on the national stage for a good long time, we used to be above it. At this special time of year and always, please consider taking a break from allowing the political vitriol that is impacting the nation — and in recent years, our state.
If you feel toxicity hijacking your precious mind and time, change the channel, end the phone call (politely), block angry, sarcastic posts. Instead of scrolling, get outside, visit a friend, exercise. Tuning out those who seek to ignite and incite — those who do not care about the impact of their words — is empowering and uplifting.
I do not need to list sources — experts in the field of psychology or mental health care professionals — to convey what we all know: The rise of violence, name calling — outright bashing without a lick of concern for the truth, or for those at which it’s directed, or our communities — is stealing our peace and our hope.
Words matter. Careful conversations are Cowboy Code, respectful, and lead to solutions. Tune out those who seek to ignite and incite without regard for finding common ground.
Ride for the Brand.
Photo Credits: Wyoming Office of Tourism | 'Smores and Cowboys Images
In Case You Missed it: Check out this recent Veterans Talking to Veterans Feature on Wyoming News Now
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