For decades, the conversation around suicide prevention has been largely dominated by clinical procedures and emergency interventions. But Dr. Kent Corso, a clinical psychologist and founder of PROSPER Together, believes it's time to shift that narrative and the responsibility back to where it belongs: the community.

Dr. Corso, whose organization partners closely with rural states like Wyoming to train everyday citizens in evidence-based suicide prevention and intervention, is on a mission to close the 30-year gap between research and practice. "We've spent half a century trying to apply a one-size-fits-all solution to a deeply personal and cultural issue," this board-certified behavior analyst says. "And it's not working."

A key insight Dr. Corso underscores is that suicide isn't only a mental health problem. "It's a social issue," he says. "People in distress are less likely to seek help, especially in areas where doing so violates cultural norms." In rural America, this often means men like ranchers or farmers who take pride in self-reliance and helping their neighbors but who rarely, if ever, ask for help themselves.

This ethos is both a challenge and an opportunity. "These are communities that may never walk into a therapy office," Dr. Corso notes. "But they'll show up for a neighbor. That's where our work begins: empowering those neighbors to reduce risk."

One of the biggest barriers to timely help is access. In some rural areas, the wait time for a therapist or psychiatrist can be months. Dr. Corso warns: "Nothing we do in, maybe four months from now, will help someone in crisis today."

Prosper Logo
Prosper Logo

But rather than seeing this as a dead end, PROSPER Together sees it as a call to action. The organization trains all community members to recognize distress, ask meaningful questions, and implement evidence-based tools like Crisis Response Plans (CRPs). These simple but effective plans are personalized action plans people can follow during moments of acute distress. When used in person, CRPs have been shown to reduce suicide attempts by up to 76%. Even via telehealth, according to a 2024 study, they can lower risk by 41%. "These aren't complicated interventions. They're just unfamiliar to the general public," Dr. Corso says. "But anyone can learn them." And that's the point.

Dr. Corso argues that the traditional model of suicide intervention—when someone reports they are in crisis and escalates to the highest level of care—often does more harm than good. "We're punishing help-seeking behavior with a 'better safe than sorry' approach and a system that's broken. People have such a negative experience that they won't speak up the next time they're in distress," he says.

Instead, he advocates for a long-game approach: instill comfort, confidence, and competence in communities so they can care for themselves and each other. PROSPER Together's training programs consistently show that most participants report significant improvements in those three areas. "When people feel ready to help, they're more likely to help," Dr. Corso says.

And readiness doesn't require a degree. "We don't need more doctors," he adds. "We need more neighbors."

Another key issue Dr. Corso highlights is the years-long lag between what research shows is effective and what's implemented in practice. Part of that delay stems from human nature. "The further you get from your postgraduate training, the further you drift from current research," he explains. "Clinicians trust their anecdotal experience more than a study."

Another reason? Fear. Dr. Corso shares, "Providers are afraid of losing their license, so they refer out rather than address it themselves. But that just feeds the system's dysfunction." This extends to clinicians not asking every patient about suicidal history. He further explains, "They say they're not confident or trained enough. That's exactly what we focus on: training for comfort, confidence, and competence."

Progress is happening, albeit slowly. Missouri was the first state to formally acknowledge mental health in its Good Samaritan law. Now, Wyoming is leading as the second state which declared mental health emergencies, including suicide, equally important as physical ones. "This legitimizes mental health and empowers citizens," Dr. Corso says. "It encourages people to act and lets them know they're authorized to help."

He compares this attainable shift to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): 65% of Americans have been trained in it, even though it's barely effective outside hospital settings. Meanwhile, something like a CRP, which can reduce suicide attempts by more than 70%, remains relatively unknown to the public. Dr. Corso further states, "Let's train people to do what works. Let's meet people where they are, within their culture, values, and communities. That's how we reduce risk. That's how we change the trajectory."

A single question, asked at the right time, can be the difference between another tragedy and another chance.