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Guide For Faculty and Staff
Recognizing Distress
Faculty and staff are often the first to notice students who may be struggling. You see these students regularly and are in a direct position to observe behaviors. You may be the first person in whom the student confides. Consequently, you are in an excellent position to identify distressed students, provide assistance, and refer them to the Counseling Center. Faculty and staff are not expected to provide personal counseling, but your expression of interest and concern can be critical in helping a student get back on track academically and emotionally. The goal of this guide is to assist faculty and staff in early identification of distressed students, brief facilitation, and the referral procedure. It addresses services offered by the Counseling Center and offers an overview of specific student concerns. While general guidelines are offered, personal style, philosophy of the role of faculty, class size, length of relationship, and the student’s openness to help certainly impact the process. Please do not hesitate to call if we can be of assistance in meeting the needs of your students.
Tips For Recognizing Students In DistressStudents often feel depressed or anxious for short periods of time during their college years. This is a perfectly normal part of being a human being and is to be expected. Most students handle these times well and without notice. However, sometimes these periods intensify and interfere with daily functioning and academic success, making intervention helpful. Some obvious and not-so-obvious signs of distress include:
Guidelines For RespondingAcknowledging your awareness of a student’s distress can open up dialogue and reveal your concern. In fact, your response can be pivotal in a student’s willingness to seek help. Please consider the following general guidelines for response:
How To Make A Referral To The Counseling Center
Depending upon the urgency of the needs of the student, there are a couple of referral options. However, if you or the student feels the concern is urgent, please ask the student to come directly to the Counseling Center or walk the student over yourself. We reserve part of every day for such appointments, and we make every effort to see these students immediately or as soon as possible. It is helpful, but not necessary, to alert us of these situations. If A Student Is Reluctant To Seek Counseling ServicesWhile culturally we have made some headway in demythologizing counseling services, many continue to view counseling as scary, a sign of weakness, or only utilized by “crazy people.” It can help to acknowledge and validate the student’s fears about seeking help. Then consider normalizing the process of counseling. The Counseling Center is an accessible (and free) on-campus resource for students. The counselors see hundreds of students each year for a wide variety of reasons. Reluctant students may be relieved to know that they can come once without making a commitment to a series of sessions. Also reassure the student that information shared in a counseling session will be kept confidential (unless he or she is at risk for harm to self or others). Ultimately it is the student’s decision whether or not to come to the Counseling Center. Sometimes students are simply not ready to seek change or accept added support, and we must then accept this decision. Services Offered By The Counseling Center
Consultations:
Individual Counseling:
Crisis Intervention/Walk-in Appointments:
Outreach Programming: What You Should Know About The Counseling CenterThe Counseling Center staff is required by law and professional ethics to protect the confidentiality of all communications between counselor and student. Limitations to confidentiality are mandated by the MN state law (e.g. threat of harm to self or others) and are discussed with the student. We cannot discuss a student’s situation with you or even confirm or deny if a student is being seen. For information to be shared a student must sign a release of information. The Counseling Center is designed to provide short-term counseling. Occasionally a student seeks services here that cannot be met under a short-term counseling model. In these cases, referrals to care-givers within the community are made. While there are many services we do offer, there are also many things we cannot do. We cannot “fix” a student, solve the individual’s problems, or force him or her to make different decisions. We cannot make a student come to counseling. Often faculty refer students to us who do not follow through on making an appointment, or maybe they come once and do not return. Students have a right to refuse services. What You Should Know About Student ProblemsStudents attend counseling for a wide variety of issues. Of the students who come to the WSU Counseling Center for personal counseling, over 50% are seen for depression, anxiety, or stress management. We see several hundred students annually. Nationwide, the treatment of depression, anxiety, stress, suicidal ideation, eating disorders and bipolar disorder on college campuses is on the rise. Depression remains the number one mental health issue for college students with the National Institute of Mental Health reporting that 1.5 million college students suffer from depression each year. In 2008 Winona State students participated in a College Health Survey. Data from this survey reveal that 14% of students reported they had been diagnosed with depression and 12% with anxiety at some point in their lives. Many of these students are taking an antidepressant. In fact, the advances in and availability of medicine have made it possible for many students to attend and succeed in college that would not have been able to a generation ago. 36.6% of WSU students report that stress negatively impacts their academic performance. There is much speculation over the reasons for these increases. But whatever the reason, you are most likely seeing these changes in the student population within your classroom. Depressed StudentsGiven the nature of college life and simply the human condition, it is natural most students experience some situational depression during their years here. Problems arise when “the blues” turns into a clinical depression which significantly affects life functioning. Because of the prevalence of depression on college campuses, it is important to know the symptoms of this illness.
Consider these helpful actions:
Unhelpful actions include:
Suicidal StudentsSuicide Risk Checklist
The information below is intended to help you identify students at high risk for suicide and obtain appropriate assistance for these students. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among college students. As a faculty, staff, or administrative member of the WSU community, you may come into contact with a suicidal student at any time. While it is not expected that you provide a thorough assessment of the student’s concerns, you may be the first contact for a student in distress. A willingness to listen and ask questions can save the life of a student! If yes, ask: (2) Do you have a plan?
Students who are distressed and in a life-threatening situation (i.e., intent and plan for suicide) should be assisted using the following resources:
Overanxious Students
For our ancestors heightened anxiety often proved to be a life-saving response to a dangerous situation. Less often does this happen to us now. Truthfully a little bit of experienced stress can motivate us to necessary action. However, when those intense “fight vs. flight” reactions happen repeatedly as a response to the stress of college life, it can lead to many problems for students. Health, mood, concentration, motivation, relationships and more can be affected. For some, chronic stress can turn into acute panic attacks. Someone experiencing a panic attack feels an overwhelming sense of dread and fear. Often they experience physical sensations such as racing heart, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, increased sweating, and light-headedness or dizziness. The following guidelines are appropriate in most cases.
Students With Eating ConcernsUnless a student is significantly restricting his or her food intake, spotting someone with disordered eating is not always possible. There may be times when you notice someone with excessive weight loss in a short amount of time or a significantly underweight student. It is more uncommon, though not impossible, for a faculty or staff member to see signs of bingeing and purging. Given the long-term nature of treatment for disordered eating, when students come to the Counseling Center with an active eating disorder, we facilitate a referral to a community therapist. We do counsel students who have successfully sought treatment for their eating disorder, who have struggles with body image, and who have more general eating concerns. Consider these helpful actions:
These responses have been found to not be helpful:
Students Under The InfluenceAlcohol is the most widely used drug on college campuses. At WSU 76% of students have used alcohol within the last month. (This means, of course, that nearly a quarter of our students are not actively drinking.) Binge drinking continues to be a problem nationwide. Of WSU students who drink, 48% report consuming five or more drinks in one sitting. Also at WSU, approximately 13% of the students have smoked marijuana within the last month. (2008 College Student Health Survey Report.) Most alcohol and other drug use occurs out of school hours. However, you may occasionally encounter a student under the influence. Be aware that alcohol and other drug use may result in aggressive behavior. Remain calm, stay safe, (keep access to the door and keep a barrier between you and the student if possible), and get help from Campus Security at 457-5555 if the situation is escalating. Consider these helpful actions:
Disruptive or Aggressive StudentsMost students, by the time they enter college, exhibit appropriate and respectful classroom behaviors. Unfortunately some students are chronically late, carry on disruptive side conversations, play on their laptops, or engage in arguments with their professors during class. Most of these more minor issues of incivility can be addressed by the faculty speaking directly with the student after class. However some situations can turn aggressive. If a student should become violent or threaten violence, three principles apply. Remain calm as to not escalate the student’s fear or anger. Stay safe by having access to the door and keeping a furniture barrier between you and the student. Get help by calling campus security at 457-5555. Helpful actions for minimizing disruptive behavior:
Helpful actions for aggression or violence:
Unhelpful actions include:
Veteran StudentsSince September 11, 2001, 8,000 members of the Minnesota National Guard have been called to active duty overseas. Approximately 3,000 MN National Guard members returned to the state in 2007. WSU has many students who were active duty and have returned and others who are currently deployed. Approximately 25-30% of soldiers statewide were college students at the time of deployment. Upon return, this number increases. Yet the drop out rate for veteran students is alarmingly high. Some of the reasons for this include: frustrations or delays with benefits, frustrations with learning the college system, psychological issues from combat stress, campus political climate, feelings that college concerns are unimportant compared to the life and death issues of combat, age and maturity gap with other students, and lack of support. The transition from soldier to student is huge. Some make this transition quite smoothly and others struggle a great deal. Veteran students have learned battlefield skills that were essential to life in combat, but can cause misunderstanding and frustration here. Many must relearn who and how to trust, how to feel safe, how to relax, how to express emotions, and how to focus on and find meaning in things that are not life and death decisions. These students face critical challenges during the transition. They are striving to overcome the alienation experienced from having life experiences to which most cannot relate. They are attempting to live without the “high” of war. The day-to-day life at college does not match the high levels of adrenaline of war. They are moving back into a very complex world. While the consequences of decisions made while a soldier are vast, the total number of daily decisions is quite small compared to civilian life. This can feel overwhelming. And they are attempting to develop an identity beyond “soldier” and a meaning beyond “war.” A high number of returning veterans experience combat stress in some form. All face a challenging transition. Studies by the US Army Mental Health Advisory Team suggest that somewhere between 11 and 17% of returning soldiers will experience acute stress in the form of depression, anxiety or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These emotional and cognitive difficulties can interfere with one’s ability to concentrate and perform academically. Often these students feel alienated from their community and question the value of school. If you become aware of a student who is having difficulty adjusting to college, feel free to refer them to the Counseling Center. Our role will be to provide resources, offer support, and attempt to help in easing this transition for them. If more acute stress is experienced, we will help them locate medical and psychological services available to them free of charge within the community or state. Often times veterans prefer to speak with a counselor with military experience or a counselor outside of their immediate community. There is a van provided by Winona County Veteran Services which brings veterans to the Twin Cities for such services each week. All veterans, like all students, are highly individual. However, the following list of general guidelines is offered. Consider these helpful actions:
It is our goal at WSU to ease this transition by providing support, available resources, and a safe and welcoming environment. It is in recognition of the multiple challenges and stressors facing veterans that the following list of resources is offered. Veteran ResourcesWSU Resources
Winona Resources
MN Resources
Educational Resources
National ResourcesThe following list of links is for your educational purposes. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, nor are the sites maintained by the Counseling Center. We attempt to choose high quality sites, but cannot guarantee the information on these sites.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:51 by Shraddha Bista |
