BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado had the 10th highest suicide rate in the country, according to 2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and while rates have declined a bit since then, mental health experts say it’s something that still needs to be taken very seriously.
The Hope Institute of Boulder is a new targeted short-term suicide treatment facility that offers outpatient services. The clinic just opened in early October of 2024, and Clinical Director Benjamin Finlayson said it’s one of the only facilities offering out-patient suicide treatment in the state. He said the need for this type of service is crucial in Colorado.
“We know that Colorado has one of the higher rates of suicide in the country,” he said.
However, Conlin Bass with the Office of Suicide Prevention at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment said those rates have recently changed.
“Colorado was one of the few states in the country that saw a slight reduction in the overall suicide fatality rate, though it has remained statistically stable in recent years,” said Bass.
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Finlayson said the Hope Institute of Boulder offers individual and group therapy and uses two of the most effective, evidence-based treatments currently available for treating people at risk for suicide: Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
“The CAMS model is really going to bring suicide into the room with us and alongside a clinician and the patient and we’re going to have a conversation together collaboratively about what their drivers are for suicide,” Finlayson said. “They’re also getting DBT skills to help empower them through emotional regulation, mindfulness and a few other modules within DBT to help them empower the treatment of suicide.”
Denver7 asked Finlayson what he sees as the driver behind suicidal thoughts and ideation.
“Sometimes, that’s the loss of a job, the loss of a partner, maybe separation, maybe it’s overwhelmed with school,” Finlayson said. “It’s a real experience, and it’s a normal experience and it’s also treatable experience that we can actually bring in the room together.”
Since opening its doors, Finlayson said the Hope Institute of Boulder has about 25 clients and three clinicians with the goal of having seven total. The Boulder location is now the third one in the United States.
To reach the Hope Institute of Boulder, call 720-970-7752 or email help.boulder@thehopeinstitute.net.
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