When Life Happens: Supporting your Students in Crisis

1. When Life Happens: Supporting your Students in Crisis Katherine Snyder Student Affairs Symposium, Fall 2012 University of Arizona

2. Agenda • Students of concern/Students in crisis • Case management as a profession • Student Assistance at the University of Arizona • University of Arizona data • How we work with students • How you can support students in crisis and work with student assistance • Questions?

3. Students in Crisis • Crisis is self-defined, any examples? • Poor grade on an exam • Difficult relationship with roommate • Break-up of romantic relationship • Illness • Family emergency • Mental health issues** • Substance use/abuse • Self-harming behavior • Suicidal thoughts/ideations

4. Case Management “Case management is essential to pre-intervention, intervention-based and post-intervention management of students of concern.” -National Behavioral Intervention Team Association (NaBITA) “NaBITAhas recognized that campus case management and behavioral intervention are tandem tasks that support each other and are complementary to the success of each. -National Behavioral Intervention Team Association (NaBITA)

5. Case Management • Profession grown from concern over increasing mental health issues on-campus • Alcohol problems (up 45 %) • Illicit Drug Use (up 49%) • Learning Disabilities (up 71%) • Self-injury incidents (up 51%) • Eating disorders (up 38%) • 17% of counseling center clients take psychiatric medications, 2000. Up from 9% in 1994. • 89 % of centers had to hospitalize a student for psychological reasons • Kitzrow, M. A. (2009). The mental health needs of today’s college students: Challenges and recommendations. NASPA Journal, 2009, 46. • Growth at UA • Need to centralize resources and processes for all students in crisis

6. Case Management • Growing profession • Professional organization • Higher Education Case Management Association (HECMA) • National conference/roundtable • Pre-conference workshop at NASPA 2013 • Standards and Advancement Committee • Developing CAS Standards • Developing training track for case managers

7. Student Assistance The goal of the Coordinators of Student Assistance is to empower students to take a proactive role in exploring their own resolutions in order to be successful both inside and outside the classroom Chrissy Lieberman, Associate Dean Katherine Snyder, Coordinator Emily Gaspar, Coordinator Hilary Love, Graduate Assistant

8. Student Assistance • Provides one-on-one consultations with students seeking assistance regarding challenges that may impede their ability to remain successful • Offers assistance with academic processes such as Explanation of Absence, Complete Withdrawal, Medical Withdrawal, and Retroactive Medical Withdrawal • Educates campus community regarding policies, procedures, and support services available to students • Connects students to appropriate campus and community resources • Provides students with institutional knowledge concerning policies and procedures in order to strive to create a common baseline understanding of the University among all students • Collaborates with campus colleagues to assist students in navigating campus bureaucracy • Remains unbiased when working with students, staff, and faculty • Assists students in significant code cases, specifically related to complainants and respondents in Title IX as these cases can be particularly stressful.

9. Student Assistance Roles beyond our reach: • Providing mental health counseling • Offering academic advising • Sharing personal student information with parents, unless health and safety concerns are present • Representing students in legal situations or code of conduct violations, or serving as a hearing officer • Completing University policies and procedures on behalf of a student

10. How we support students • Information sharing • Consulting colleagues • Connecting students with the appropriate people • Policies/procedures/resources • Cut the red tape

11. Policies • Absence policies • Excused absence • Dean’s excuse • Explanation of absence • Leave of absence • Specific email to professors • Dates and deadlines • Financial aid • Withdrawals

12. Processes • Withdrawal • Change of Schedule Form • Complete withdrawal • Medical withdrawal • General Petition • Speaking with instructors • How to make a complaint

13. Resources • Counseling and Psych Services • Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid • Academic Advising • Think Tank • Office Hours

14. The NumbersAugust 1, 2011-August 1, 2012= 928 • Adjustment and Transition-40 • Academics -52 • Bias-6 • Family Emergency-86 • Financial Aid Concern-3 • Financial Needs-31 • Harassment-26 • Hospitalization-61 • Mental Health-98 • Mental Health Hospitalization-8 • Other -48 • Physical Assault-35 • Physical Health-72 • Relationship Violence-9 • Sexual Misconduct-10 • Stalking-1 • Student Conduct / Disciplinary Issues-14 • Student Death-21 • Suicidal Ideations/Gestures-40 • Threatening Behavior-13 • Wellness Check-53 • Drug Overdose-2 • Extreme Intoxication-55 • Acts of Violence or Threats-23 • High Profile Events that result in Media Attention-9 • Housing-6 • Missing Student-9 • Sexual Assault -18

15. Currently • Adjustment & Transition-33 • Academics-33 • Bias-3 • Conflict Coaching-4 • Family Emergency-22 • Financial Aid Concern-14 • Harassment-6 • Hazing-1 • Hospitalization-20 • Mental Health-22 • Mental Health Hospitalization-5 • Other-8 • Physical Assault-2 • Physical Health-6 • Sexual Misconduct-3 • Student Conduct/Disciplinary Issues-2 • Student Death-3 • Substance Use/Abuse-24 • Suicidal Ideations/Gestures-7 • Threatening Behavior-7 • University Complaint-3 • Wellness Check-18

16. August 1, 2012- October 10, 2012= 247

17. Referral Numbers • CAPS-1 • UAPD-29 • Greek Life-30 • Faculty / Staff-36 • Residence Life-33 • Parents / Guardian-41 • Student-7 • Athletics-1 • Self Report-68

18. How you can support students • Listen • Knowing policies relevant for your role and the students with whom you work • Don’t be afraid to ask difficult questions • It’s okay to offer words of encouragement and support • Provide resources • Know you do not need to have all of the answers • Ask questions and refer!

19. Working together • Contact us • Questions about a situation • There is no expectation everyone has all the answers • Presentations to your department • Understand that contact by Student Assistance is in no way a reflection on you or how you do your job • Be as flexible and collaborative as possible • Refer/report students

20. Reporting a student of concern • Clear • Give examples, not feelings

21. Reporting a student of concern

22. Reporting a student of concern

23. Final Thoughts • We ALL have a responsibility to support students in need, it takes a village! • Working together and collaboration makes this task easier for everyone Do what you can, when you can, listen, and remember, if you are doing what feels right, it is probably the right thing.

24. Questions? Katherine Snyder, M. A. katherinesnyder@email.arizona.edu 626-6186 Coordinator, Student Advocacy and Assistance Dean of Students Office University of Arizona