Students in Crisis

August 7, 2013
9am-1030am

Objectives
O Recognize students of concern or students experiencing a

crisis

O Understand what is meant by crisis

O Identify signs of a crisis

O Recognize signs and behaviors of students potentially

experience suicidal ideation.

O Understand the process for referring students to campus
resources
O Learn about the Dean of Students office and the resources

provided to students through this office

O Learn when and how to get your supervisor involved

Community Agreements
O The Community Agreements are designed to ensure

participants feel safe while in the workshop. Furthermore,

the objective of the community agreements will be to help
foster progressive dialogue without fear of being viewed
as intellectually incompetent or biased. The following
community agreements will be implemented throughout
this workshop.

Community Agreements

Be consistently present
Argue the point, not the person
Challenge by choice
Open Doors
Appreciate silence and pauses
Use I statements Speak from the I not
the We
Oops and Ouch
Confidentially
(Optional Group Agreement)

As Residence Life Staff How Do

you Define the Term

Definition of a Crisis

A disruption or
breakdown in a persons
normal or usual pattern
of functioning.
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/manuals/socialservices/sections/CrisisInter.shtml

Large Group Dialogue Circle

O Have you experienced a crisis or have you

helped another individual in their crisis?

O What did that look like? What did that feel
like?

Physical Signs of Crisis

O Muscle tremors
O Fatigue
O Chills
O Sweating

O Nausea
O Shock symptoms
O Upset stomach
O Dizziness

O Chest pain
O Headaches
O Elevated blood

pressure
O Feeling of
hollowness
O Weakness
O Sensitivity to noise

O Difficulty

breathing
Retrieved from: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csdc

Cognitive Signs of a Crisis

Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
Confusion
Limited attention span
Decreased ability to make decisions
Decreased ability to solve problems
Calculation difficulties
Recurring dreams or nightmares about the
disaster
O Repeated thoughts or memories that are difficult
to stop
O
O
O
O
O
O
O

Retrieved from: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csdc

Emotional Signs of a Crisis

O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O

Impatience
Fear
Anxiety
Anger
Irritability
Numbness
Loneliness
Guilt
Shame
Lack of enjoyment in everyday activities
Retrieved from: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csdc

Suicide
Facts at a Glance
O What surprised you?
O What did you learn regarding suicide that you did

not know previously?

Common Experiences Associated

with People who Consider Suicide
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O

Hopelessness
Loss of pleasure or interest
Mood cycling
Feelings of severe depression
Feelings of severe anxiety
Rigid thinking
Feelings of humiliation
Agitation
Perceived (or actual) failure
Interpersonal turmoil
Retrieved from: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csdc

Common Experiences Associated

with People who Consider Suicide
O Unemployed or having financial problems
O Recent adverse event, such as job loss or death
O

O
O
O
O

of someone close
Substance abuse/Intoxication
Panic attacks
Lack of future orientation (e.g., giving away
belongings/money, etc).
History of suicide attempts or ideation
Plan for suicide
Retrieved from: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csdc

Communication of Suicidal
Intent

If you are concerned that

someone might be
thinking about suicide,
ask them.
Retrieved from: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csdc

Crisis Intervention Defined

Greenstone & Leviton (2002): Crisis intervention is the
act of interrupting the downward spiral as skillfully and
as quickly as possible and, in so doing, of returning the
individual to a pre-crisis level of functioning.

Retrieved from: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csdc

The CA and Crisis

Intervention
O Meet with the student
O Ask Open-Opened Questions
O Listen
O Be non-judgmental

O Reflect and validate

O Maintain boundaries
O Refer to campus resources
O Follow-up

O Consult

Process for Referring Students

to Campus Resources
O Refer to Campus Resources
O Explain the Campus Resource
O Provide support
O Phone Call
O Walk with them

O Have information available

O Follow-up

O Consult

Counseling and Psychological

Resources (CAPS)
707-826-3236
O Counseling
O Ongoing; Drop-In; Crisis

O After-Hours Phone Support

O Groups, Wellness Activities, Workshops

O Online Self-Assessment
O Mental Health; Alcohol

O Online Self-Help Information

O Anxiety; Break-up Recovery; Death, Loss, & Grief; Depression;

etc.

Dean of Students Office

707-826-3361

O Randi Darnall-Burke, Dean of Students

O Vincent Feliz, Student Support Liasion

Involving Your Supervisor

O Emergency
O Emergency Services
O RLC On-Duty

O Crisis/Student of Concern
O RLC On-Duty
O Documentation
O Meet with your supervisor

Scenarios
O Small Group Discussion
O What are the signs of crisis in your scenario?
O As a student staff member, how might you respond to

your scenario?
O How would you refer someone to a campus and/or

community resource?
O When and how might you get your supervisor involved?

Questions and Final Thoughts

O Is there anything that still seems unclear to you?
O What is something you learned that you did not know

before this session?