A MEASURED RESPONSE: CARING FOR OUR DISTRESSED STUDENTS

1. A MEASURED RESPONSE: CARING FOR OUR DISTRESSED STUDENTS

2. ETSU RESPONSE • Admissions Advisory Committee • Student Behavior Management Team • Counseling Center Website • Response Protocol for Life Threatening Behavior • Critical Incident Response Team • Faculty Workshops: Mitigating Classroom Disruption

3. RESPONDING TO DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM • TBR policy makes you responsible for control of your classroom • Three steps to help deal with the disruptive student • All threats should be taken seriously and campus police should be notified • Confront the problem directly • Don’t worry about being sued

4. Why should Staff and Faculty Intervene? • A student’s inability to cope poses a serious threat to their ability to learn • You may be the only individual to notice that a student is struggling who does something about it • Your failure to intervene may lead to more serious consequences for the student • The student’s inability to cope may be acted out in your classroom

5. Why are Some People Difficult? • Emotional or physical depletion • Frustration • Emotional wounds and/or self-esteem • Emotional regression (ego-centric, tantrums) • Insatiable needs (status, attention, power, control) • Lack of skills • Substance abuse or mental illness • Issues from the family of origin

6. Recognizing the Troubled Student: Level I • Serious grade problems or a noticeable decline in academic performance • Excessive absences or lateness • Becoming isolated or withdrawn • Marked change in personal hygiene • Noticeable lethargy or hyperactivity • Falling asleep in class

7. Recognizing the Troubled Student: Level 2 • Repeated requests for special consideration • New or regularly occurring behavior that pushes the limits of decorum and may interfere with teaching • Unusual or exaggerated emotional responses to situations

8. Recognizing the Troubled Student: Level 3 • Highly disruptive behavior (hostile, aggressive, violent, etc.) • Inability to communicate clearly (garbled, slurred speech, unconnected or disjointed thoughts) • Loss of contact with reality • Overt suicidal thoughts or threats • Homicidal thoughts or threats

9. Options for Faculty and Staff • Do nothing • Deal directly with the disruptive behavior in a manner that limits it to the classroom issue • Deal with the situation in a more personal manner

10. What Stops Faculty and Staff from Intervention • “Benign Inaction” • Fear of receiving inadequate administrative support • Fear of harming the psychologically fragile student • Fear of legal or physical reprisals • Guilt • View of discipline as a negative process • Lack of training in disciplinary processes

11. Options for Effective Intervention • Talk with the student • Make a referral • Consult with other campus professionals • Contact the Dean of Students • Contact the Campus Security • Document all interactions

12. Responses to Level One Issues • Talk with the student and assertively express your concern in a caring manner • Help student process options that may address your concern • Be aware of referral resources and be ready to give the student the name of a contact person and contact information • Set clear and appropriate boundaries for behavior in question

13. Responses to Level Two Issues • Identify pattern of behavior that has raised your concern and express it clearly to the student • Establish clear consequences for continuation of the behavior • Provide referral resources and contacts for the student, and in the event of severe concern, ensure that student makes contact

14. Responses to Level Three Issues • Contact Campus Security to ensure your own safety and that of other students • Remove student from any public area with attention to your own security • Assess level of distress and potential to harm self or others • Have Campus Security transport student to hospital or other appropriate agency • Debrief incident with administrators and others who were involved

15. Suggestions for Talking with a Student • Speak privately • Avoid being judgmental • Listen sensitively • Help the student process their options • Respect the student

16. Positive Listening Skills • Separate your own emotions from the other’s words • Fully commit yourself to listening, give them your full attention • Be respectful, wait for the other individual to complete their statement before expressing your own ideas • Focus on what the other person is saying and give it careful consideration using your own analytical skills

17. Hostility and Verbal Abuse • Distinguish verbal abuse from anger • Consider safety issues • It is acceptable and sometimes necessary to simply ask the person to leave • Understand the goal(s) of the person -to get what he/she wants -to be heard -to gain control -to provoke a reaction (pick a fight)

18. Strategies for Handling Hostility • Don’t take it personally • Remain calm. Stay in charge of your emotions • Listen • Reflect that you have heard the issue • Keep your goals in mind: -Reduce hostility and tension -Be in control of yourself -Find resolution -Improve the relationship

19. De-Escalating with Non-Verbals • Respond with a measured voice • Slow down the pace of speech • Maintain eye contact • Equalize level of eye contact • Space (do not touch) • Offer an open and solid body posture

20. De-Escalating Verbally Do Not: • Engage in defending yourself or debating • Engage in a power struggle • Tell the individual what they should do • Ask them “why” • Threaten or challenge the individual • Use put-downs or insults

21. De-Escalating Verbally Do: • Respond in a general, non-personalized manner • Respect the other person (Sir or Miss) • Respond in an honest, direct manner • Document what they are saying…”Could you repeat that?” • Set firm limits with bullies • Be genuine

22. Steps for Handling the Disruptive Student • Do what you can to deal with the situation yourself • Consult with the Division Chair • If appropriate, consult with the Dean of Students • Always remember that Campus Security is there to assist

23. Making a Referral • Determine if the student is aware they have a problem • Determine the student’s willingness to positively address their problem • Determine the most appropriate referral option based upon the student’s needs and his/her willingness to address his/her concern • Determine if the student should be escorted to the appropriate referral resource and by whom

24. Observable Symptoms of Mental Health Issues • Depression • Manic Behavior • Anxiety • Psychosis • Drug and Alcohol Abuse

25. Syllabus Suggestions • Policy regarding attendance, punctuality and tardiness, including consequences. • Statement regarding appropriate behavior between student and instructor and/or classmates. • Appropriate expectations for instructor time and attention inside and outside of class room. General policies regarding communication with instructor, including instructor office hours and location, appointments and drop-in policy, phone number and policy regarding returning telephone calls. • Statement regarding conflict resolution in the classroom (how to discuss differences/disagreements with the instructor and other students).

26. Syllabus Suggestions • General policy on eating, drinking, smoking in class. • General policy regarding children and visitors in class. • General policy regarding breaks and leaving and entering class at other than break time(s). • General policy on plagiarism. • General policy regarding cell phones, pagers, laptop computers, PDAs

27. COUNSELING CENTER WEBSITE • http://www.etsu.edu/students/counseling/help/concern/default.aspx