For University of Toledo Faculty and Staff

University students typically encounter a great deal of stress - academic, social, family, work, financial - during the course of their educational experience. While most students cope successfully with demands of college life, for some, the pressures can become overwhelming and unmanageable. There is powerful rationale for faculty/staff to intervene when they encounter distressed students: the inability to cope effectively with emotional stress poses a serious threat to students' learning ability. As a faculty/staff member, your expression of interest and concern may be a critical factor in helping a struggling student reestablish the emotional equilibrium necessary for a fulfilling university experience. Your willingness to respond to students in distress will undoubtedly be influenced by your personal style and your particular philosophy about the limits of responsibility for helping students. These guidelines may help you assess what can sometimes be a difficult situation and give you some specific ideas about what you can do when confronted with students who are distressed.

Assistance for Emergency Situations

For students expressing a direct threat to themselves or others or acting in bizarre, highly irrational or disruptive ways: Call university police at (419) 530-2600 who will, if appropriate, contact the University Counseling Center.

Tips for Recognizing Troubled Students

The following behaviors may indicate that something is wrong and a referral may be needed:

• Serious grade problems or a change from consistently good grades to unaccountably poor performance
• Excessive absences, especially if the student has previously demonstrated good, consistent class attendance
• Unusual or exaggerated emotional response which is obviously inappropriate to the situation
• Other characteristics that suggest the student having trouble managing stress include: a depressed, lethargic mood; being excessively active and talkative (very rapid speech); swollen, red eyes; marked change in personal dress and hygiene; sweaty (when room is not hot); falling asleep inappropriately

The following behaviors are often present in students in extreme crisis who need immediate care (for help with how to handle a crisis situation please see the assistance for emergency referrals section of this document)

• Highly disruptive behavior (hostile, aggressive, violent)
• Inability to communicate clearly (garbled, slurred speech; unconnected or disjointed thoughts)
• Loss of contact with reality (seeing/hearing things which "aren't there," beliefs or actions greatly at odds with reality or probability)
• Overtly suicidal thoughts (referring to suicide as a current option)
• Homicidal threats

What Can You Do?

If you choose to approach a student you're concerned about, here are some suggestions that might make the situation more comfortable for you and helpful for the student:

• Talk to the student in private when both of you have time and are not rushed or preoccupied. If you are pressed for time, set up another time to talk with the student.
• Describe the behavior that concerns you.
• Listen to the student. Communicate understanding by restating what you heard them say. Try to include both content and feelings.
• Avoid judging, evaluating, and criticizing.
• Work with the student to specify options they can consider (i.e. talk with family, friends, clergy, counselor, coach, etc.)
• Regard the information the student gives you as confidential.

When Should You Make a Referral?

There are circumstances that may require the use of other resources. Examples include:

• The problem is one you do not feel qualified to handle.
• You believe that personality differences will interfere with your ability to help.
• You know the student personally (as a friend, neighbor, friend of a friend) and think you could not be objective enough to help.
• The student acknowledges the problem but is reluctant to discuss it with you.
• You are feeling overwhelmed, pressed for time, or otherwise at a high level of stress yourself.

You are not deserting the student when you make a referral, often it is the best help you can give. This prevents dual relationships that can be confusing for both you and the student.

Making a Referral

Some students may accept a referral for professional help better than others. It is usually best to be frank with students about the limits of your ability to assist them - limits of time, energy, training, objectivity. Most students find it reassuring that you respect their willingness to talk, and that you want to support them in getting the assistance they need. Confused students may be comforted to know that they don't necessarily have to know what's wrong before they can ask for help. Assure them that seeking help doesn't necessarily mean that they have serious problems. Feeling down or low on energy and motivation; experiencing difficulties in relationships with friends, parents, boy/girlfriends; feeling anxious or depressed; and having concerns about future goals or plans are all very good reasons for seeking professional assistance. Remember, that except in dangerous situations, the decision whether to accept or reject the referral is ultimately the student's. If you want to know whether a student has accepted your referral, please ask them. It is unlawful for the Counseling Center to provide any information about counseling to anyone without the student's written consent.

Immediate Care Situations:

In an immediate care situation it is important to assess the nature of the situation in order to determine what constitutes an appropriate source of help.

• If a student is clearly upset, perhaps crying uncontrollably or appearing very disoriented, you should attempt to talk to the student to find out information about what is going on. This may involve separating the individual from the group i.e., if they are in class. Talk to the person calmly allowing the person to regain composure. If the person does not calm down or if you have information which leads you to think they need to talk to a professional therapist i.e. suicidal thoughts or feelings, much difficulty with coping with daily life stresses, confused thinking and/or speaking , or obvious intoxication due to drugs or alcohol. Call the Counseling Center at (419) 530-2426. Keep the student with you.
• Identify yourself as a faculty or staff member with a student in crisis.
• Ask to speak to the Director of Counseling Services or to an available therapist.
• Identify yourself and share with the therapist what you know about the situation and the student.
• If you think that it is best to bring the student to the University Counseling Center, our reception desk is located in the Armory Building, Room 1300. If the student refuses to come to the Center, the therapist on-call will very likely want to talk to the student by phone to assess their resistance and to encourage them to come by the Center. If that fails, the therapist may decide to meet with the student in person in your office.
• If the student agrees to walk to the Center with you, please identify yourself to the front desk when you arrive and state the name of the therapist you spoke to on the phone. The therapist may want to take a few minutes to talk with you before you leave to gather additional information. The student will be seen as soon as possible.

What Happens When a Student Accesses the Screening for Counseling Service for the First Time For Non Emergencies or Immediate Care Referrals?

Whenever possible, students should make contact with us to access our screening for counseling service at our Armory location at 419-530-2426. They can stop by or phone the University Counseling Center. The receptionist will arrange for the student to meet with a staff member as soon as possible. In urgent situations, a therapist will assist the student immediately.

When a student first visits the University Counseling Center, there are information forms (which can be waived in emergencies) to fill out before the student sees a therapist. During the first appointment, our screening counselor will begin an assessment of the student's needs and the ways in which the University Counseling Center might be able to help. No information obtained in counseling shall be discussed in any way by the therapist without the client's written permission, unless disclosure is required by law. All services are free.

If the student and screening counselor agree that individual or couples counseling is appropriate, the student can expect to be assigned a therapist for weekly appointments. Appointments last about 50 minutes.

Other options the counselor will consider at the first appointment include suggesting the student participate in a counseling group or making a referral to another campus or community agency.

Should You Refer to a Specific Therapist?

When you refer a student, it is helpful to promote the University Counseling Center in its entirety, rather than suggesting the student see a particular therapist. However, encouraging the student by sharing your knowledge and confidence in a therapist or therapists at the center is certainly appropriate. Encouraging the student to accept an appointment at the earliest available time slot will allow the student to be seen sooner and does not rule out the option of seeing a specified therapist at a later time.

Consultation is Available to You

As a faculty or staff member, if you need to consult with any of our professional staff regarding the appropriateness of getting help or information for a student please call us. If you have chosen to refer a student, you may still have some questions about how best to handle the situation. Staff members at the University Counseling Center would be pleased to help you in either situation. For consultation from the University Counseling Center, call us at (419) 530-2426.

When a student needs help in the following areas the sources of help are listed below:

Study Skills Improvement: Learning Enhancement Center (CL 1003 and Scott Park Campus) i.e. workshops, individual study skills, and tutoring	(419) 530-2206(419) 530-2176(419) 530-3105
Writing Improvement: Writing Center (CL 1005) i.e. for all students with writing assignments, on-line tutoring and resources	(419) 530-4939
Career and Major Choice Counseling: Career Services (SU 1532) i.e. assessment, lifestyle exploration, career library	(419) 530-4341
Testing Concerns: Bancroft Campus Test Centers (RH 1569 & SA 1140) Placement testing and make-up test center	(419) 530-1269(419) 530-2011
Computer Based National Test Administration: Scott Park Testing and Training Center (ASC 1200)	(419) 530-3269(419) 530-3266