Advocacy Center of Tompkins County

Be Safe at College This Year

September 5, 2025September 8, 2025thesophiefund

As the school year begins, college students across Tompkins County have arrived on campus equipped with a variety of unique personal experiences. Many students will live away from home for the first time. Others might be met with academic and social challenges they have never encountered before. All students deserve safety, respect, and care.

New Cornell University students pose in front of the student union

Unfortunately, this time of transformation and growth can also coincide with sexual and relationship violence. Each year, between the months of August through November, instances of sexual violence at universities in the United States increase drastically.

This period of time is known as the “red zone,” beginning at the start of the fall semester and lasting through Thanksgiving break when many students go home. More than 50 percent of college sexual assaults happen during this time, according to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN). Sexual violence does not cease as the “red zone” ends in December, so continuing these conversations is crucial.

The Advocacy Center of Tompkins County and The Sophie Fund partnered to create Be Safe at College, a simple flyer highlighting key resources to cultivate safer campuses, support sexual assault survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable. Pin a copy to your bulletin board, or upload it to your phone.

DOWNLOAD: Be Safe at College Resources

“I hope that the Be Safe at College flyer will be a resource for students to keep in their self-care toolkits, whether they think they will need it or not. It’s always helpful to know about support options for you and your friends because you deserve safety and compassion,” said Alex Kabat, Campus Educator at the Advocacy Center.

After graduating from Ithaca College in 2024, Kabat knew she wanted to provide support to the greater Ithaca community. Utilizing her own lived experiences as a college student, she provides trauma-informed education, connection to resources, and dedication to support at each local college campus: Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College. She also provides programs, print materials, interactive tabling opportunities, and more. For any inquiries, email Kabat directly: akabat@actompkins.org.

“Trust your gut—you know what feels best for yourself, so lean into that innate knowledge,” said Kabat. “No matter what happens, violence is never your fault and perpetrators are the ones who should be held accountable.”

RAINN’s “Prevention Tips for Students” web page also has a wealth of helpful information for college students.

SUPPORT RESOURCES

Advocacy Center of Tompkins County

Free, confidential, local support and advocacy for survivors, friends, and families around domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse.

Hotline (607) 277-5000

Office (607) 277-3203

Instagram: @advocacytc

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network(RAINN)

RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and provides programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

Hotline 24/7 (800) 656-HOPE

Online (English)

Online (en español)

Instagram: @rainnn

EMERGENCY

911 Ithaca Police Assistance

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Cornell University

Cornell Police (607) 255-1111

Cornell Health & CAPS (607) 255-5155

Victim Advocacy (607) 255-1212

Title IX Office (607) 255-2242

Student Conduct (607) 255-4680

Ithaca College

Campus Police (607) 274-3333

CAPS (607) 274-3136

Title IX Office (607) 274-7761

Student Conduct (607) 274-3375

Tompkins Cortland Community College

Campus Police (607) 844-6511

Counseling (607) 844-6577

Title IX Office (607) 844-4440

Student Conduct (607) 844-8222 x6591

Meet Ithaca’s Mental Health Champions

November 1, 2024October 25, 2025thesophiefund

Mental health leaders in Tompkins County provided information about community services during The Sophie Fund’s 9th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest on October 19.

Participating organizations included: Be Kind Ithaca; Free Hugs Ithaca; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York; Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service; Mental Health Association in Tompkins County; National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes; Advocacy Center of Tompkins County; Ithaca Free Clinic; and Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force.

Ithaca Free Clinic’s Norbert McCloskey briefs Cornell students about his agency’s work

Speaking at the Awards Ceremony, Norbert McCloskey, executive director of the Ithaca Free Clinic, which provides healthcare to individuals regardless of ability to pay, expressed gratitude for the support the agency receives from the community.

“I have had the honor for number of years now to work with an organization that does all that it can to make sure that people can access the healthcare that they need. We’re able to do that because all of our services are provided by community volunteers—everyone from MDs all the way down to the kind lady who comes in once a week and waters our plants,” McCloskey said.

Ithaca Free Clinic

McCloskey noted the connection between healthcare and mental health.

“Nothing really creates anxiety in the life of an individual than being ill and not being able to see a doctor, not being able to get the care that they need. Whether that care is primary family practice care, or acupuncture, or herbalism, or chiropractic, or occupational therapy, or seeing an optometrist to get the eyewear that they need in order to live a full and productive life.

“You probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that a significant number of people who come to our doors do suffer from a variety of mental health conditions. We are able to help them recognize that, and then steer them toward this vast array of organizations that we have in our community to get help that they need to live full, productive, happy, and joyful lives.”

Tiffany Bloss, executive director of the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County, said that her agency has been able to expand its services beyond its role as a local call center for the national 988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline.

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County

She told the Awards Ceremony audience that SPCS now handles calls from 16 other New York State counties in addition to Tompkins County. She said her agency also launched a 24-hour “warm line” for people who are not in crisis yet need a person to talk to, as well as a 24-hour LGBTQ peer support line.

“It is so incredibly necessary. We need to have everyone talking about mental health all the time,” she said.

Bloss pointed people to SPCS’s newly redesigned website, “an incredible resource for mental health.”

“We really just want to get the word out and get people talking about mental health and suicide. Make it not a scary topic. We need to look at it like we look at our physical health,” she said.

Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force

Mental Health Association in Tompkins County

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention — Greater Central New York

National Alliance on Mental Illness — Finger Lakes

Advocacy Center of Tompkins County

Be Kind Ithaca & Free Hugs Ithaca

Group Support in Tompkins County

September 9, 2024thesophiefund

To me, the philosophy behind mental health support groups aligns with Platonic wisdom: inquiry, dialogue, and collective reasoning leads to knowledge, truth, and justice. Struggling alone can be much more difficult than sharing lived experience with peers in a mutually beneficial atmosphere, according to Melanie Little, director of Training and Peer Education at the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County.

Team members at the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County

“We have a lot to learn from each other,” said Little. “Your lived experience is expertise, and that is mutually beneficial. It’s really empowering because we can help other people.”

Peer support groups are commonly facilitated by people who themselves have lived experience with mental health conditions and are trained to assist others. They are known as certified peer specialists. Group therapy, on the other hand, is more often provided by licensed therapists with specific therapeutic interventions.

As a peer specialist, bi-weekly facilitator, and group therapy veteran, I strongly believe that group support particularly and significantly builds confidence in attendees. Knowing that others go through similar experiences confirms our struggles as real, validates that we matter, and promotes greater peace with a society that may rarely seem to understand. Peer interaction cultivates a mutual emotional safety net, enabling participants to see past the stigma, to reclaim their lives.

Group programs vary tremendously in material, style, and message. Most fit into one of several categories. Psychoeducational groups educate people about their condition, offering effective coping skills. Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy helps people to recognize patterns of thought that negatively influence emotions and behaviors. Skills development is meant to increase overall function in the world. Support groups entail people converging on similar problems, assisting each other through feedback. Interpersonal groups focus on social skills.

According to the American Psychological Association, group therapy is at least as effective as individual therapy. Cited research suggests that expanding group therapy initiatives in the US would save more than $5.6 billion, and free the schedules of about 34,500 therapists for individual therapy. The research found group therapy effective for a myriad of mental illnesses, including those marked by anxiety, depression, mood cycling, psychosis, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Robust effects on alliance and cohesion were highlighted.

Overall, group therapy is an excellent option for those who want to surpass the limits of individual therapy, or those who would stand to benefit from a peer experience. Little said that it’s particularly valuable because “we can feel so much shame, so much isolation.”

Many support group options are available in Tompkins County.

The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County offers several free group programs. Psychosocial Support, for adults with mental health challenges, promotes rehabilitation within the community, helping people forge strong bonds with peers. Peer Support/Advocacy also serves adults, consisting of casual and structured activities, both in individual and group form work. The focus is on mental health recovery, goal planning, learning skills, progress monitoring, self-help and self-advocacy, hope, and community participation. Family Peer Support Services assists the guardians of children and adolescents who have mental health challenges. Goals include empowering caregivers to make informed decisions, reducing familial stress, educating about mental health, and helping navigate child-serving systems. Emotional support, advocacy, service coordination, and recreation events are furthermore offered. The Mental Health Association also maintains a social drop-in program at its offices in Center Ithaca. Staffed by peer specialists, the program is a welcoming environment for peers to come together, converse about shared experiences, learn about resources, enjoy snacks and a hot beverage, and do collective activities like games and crafts. For more information, go to www.mhaedu.org.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Finger Lakes chapter offers a program called the NAMI Family Support Group, free peer groups for those adults who seek to help loved ones with mental illness, facilitated by people who have gone through this experience themselves. Other free peer support services offered by NAMI Finger Lakes include the Partner and Spouse Group and Psychosis Support Group. For more information, go to www.namifingerlakes.org.

Tompkins County Whole Health operates Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS), a group option serving adults with “severe and persistent mental illness” including those with substance use disorders. Groups are led by peers or professional clinicians. The program seeks to provide greater quality of life, reduced hospitalization, and personal goal attainment. Some groups are discussion-based, others self-focused. PROS services include Community Rehabilitation, Intensive Rehabilitation, and Ongoing Rehabilitation and Support. Services are covered by Medicaid or otherwise are a maximum of $60 per month. For more information, go to www.tompkinscountyny.gov/health/pros.

Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca provides mental health and related social services. Groups include Caregiver Support Group, Kinship Caregivers Support Group, Grandparents Support Group, and more, depending on the time of year. Family & Children’s accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurance. It offers additional discounts based on family and income, and its services are free to those unable to pay. For more information, go to www.fcsith.org.

The Advocacy Center of Tompkins County provides support, advocacy and education for survivors, friends, and families of domestic violence, and sexual assault. Peer support services include Knowledge is Power, Survivor Empowerment Group, and Survivor Support for College Students. For more information, go to www.actompkins.org.

—By Ben Komor

Ben Komor has been a certified peer specialist for over eight years and, among other functions in the mental health realm, served as an advisor to the Tompkins County Crisis Negotiation Team. He is a graduate of Ithaca High School, and holds a BA in Human Development and an MS in Health.

Saluting Mental Health Heroes

October 26, 2023October 27, 2023thesophiefund

Mental health leaders in Tompkins County highlighted available community services and underlined the importance of supporting the well-being of mental health workers during the 8th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest.

The organizations participating included: Be Kind Ithaca; Free Hugs Ithaca; Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service; Mental Health Association in Tompkins County; National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes; Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca; Health and Unity for Greg; and Advocacy Center of Tompkins County, and Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force.

Kayla and Michelle Eells of Health and Unity for Greg

Alecia Sundsmo, director of Clinical Services at Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca, said that her agency provides mental health care across the age spectrum regardless of ability to pay.

“One of the amazing things about Family and Children’s is that we can really provide mental health care from our zero-to-five program all the way up to our geriatric mental health program,” she said. “Somebody is never turned away. We know that equity across access to healthcare is so critical to making sure that people have the care that they need in the community where they live and work.”

Sundsmo also noted the agency’s outreach programs “to make sure that we reach folks who might have some additional stigma or barriers to seeking access to care. We go out and help them and find them and make sure that we can provide social supports in the community.” She said that the outreach includes community education programs and extends to supporting mental health in local businesses through their Employee Assistance Programs.

Michelle Eells of Health & United for Greg thanked Family & Children’s for establishing the Greg Eells Memorial Fund in honor of her husband, who died by suicide in 2019. Greg Eells was a veteran psychologist and active member of the Family & Children’s board.

“The fund helps provide wellness support and education to the Family and Children’s Service clinicians and staff,” Eells explained. “As mental health providers and caregivers who care vehemently for others and take it all in, they also need to be supported and make a priority to care for themselves.”

The Greg Eells Memorial Fund is the recipient of the 2023 Cupcake Button fundraising campaign organized by The Sophie Fund, which collects donations every year to support a local mental health nonprofit.

Lovisa Johanson of Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca

Samantha Shoemaker of Free Hugs Ithaca and Darrell Harrington of Be Kind Ithaca

Olivia Duell of the Advocacy Center of Tompkins County

Brandi Remington of the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force

Skip Knoll and Virginia Cook of The Sophie Fund

Stacy Ayres and Crystal Howser of AFSP Greater Central New York

Kathy Taylor and Sandra Sorensen of NAMI Finger Lakes

Thank You, Mental Health Heroes!

October 23, 2022October 23, 2022thesophiefund

Leaders of the mental health community spread messages of support and hope during the 7th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest.

Darrell Harrington, of Be Kind Ithaca, shared a personal story of getting help for crippling anxiety, and how it led him to create the bright red “Be Kind” hearts that adorn lawns and porches throughout Ithaca and beyond.

“I wouldn’t be here right now, or got to be on this amazing journey with Be Kind, if I hadn’t gained control of my anxiety,” said Harrington, crediting his wife and a close friend and band mate for guiding him into therapy.

“If you are suffering, please talk to someone. I know it’s hard. It’s extremely hard. But there is help out there. There’s some amazing people that want to help you. It’s those nine out of ten people that will help you, and take care of you, and make you feel better, and enjoy your life like I am today.”

Kathy Taylor, of the Finger Lakes affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), related how a child’s mental illness turned her family’s world “upside down and inside out.”

National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes

“We thought we could fix his problem through love and support,” she said. “But it wasn’t enough. I had heard about NAMI. It really took a lot of courage to make that phone call and admit we couldn’t fix the problem ourselves.”

Taylor and her husband joined a 12-week NAMI class called Family to Family. “These people were non-judgmental and they helped us so much,” she recalled. “We learned a common language so we could talk to each other about mental illness in a more educated way and understand what our son was going through.

Crystal Howser, of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York, said everyone has a role to play in protecting mental health.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

“Together, we can make a difference,” said Howser, one of the Ithaca area’s most relentless suicide prevention advocates. “We can let others know they are not alone. Together, we are strong, together we are making a difference. Suicide is preventable and suicide prevention begins with all of us.”