Working with the Troubled or Disruptive Student

Working with the Troubled or Disruptive Student Summer Academy Division of Student Affairs University of Louisville July 21, 2008 Presenter: Wayne D. Griffin, Ph.D.

Faculty and Staff as Resources Campus personnel interact with students in a variety of contexts: • Teaching and Research Faculty • Graduate Teaching and Research Assistants • Instructors • Support Staff • Academic Advisors and Office of the Registrar • Student Affairs Personnel, e.g., Financial Aid, Student Activities, Career Resource Center, Dean of Students, Counseling, Housing and Recreation staffs • Student Organization Advisors

Faculty and Staff as Resources Faculty and Staff: • Are knowledgeable of students and their particular developmental stage • Are aware of the stressors that students encounter • Represent the institutional ethic of care – The Facilitative Campus [Peter Lake] • Are familiar with campus agencies and their roles • Are gatekeepers for intervention and referral to helping resources

CollegeStudents and Mental Health • 85% of college counseling centers report seeing more clients (AUCCCD, 2000) • 2006 ACHA survey of 16,000 students on 28 campuses: • 60% reported feeling hopeless in past year • 42% reported feeling so depressed it caused difficulty in functioning • 9.4% reported seriously considering suicide • 1.3 % reported having attempted suicide in past year

College Students and Mental Health • AUCCCD (2007) annual report of 363 centers • 15.2% significant history of prior treatment • 24% taking psychotropic medications • 39.4% reported depression • 36.7% reported anxiety • 35.7% relationship issues • 7.1% engaging in self injury [e.g., cutting, burning, abrading]

CollegeStudents and Mental Health • Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for college aged student [15 – 24] (Nat’l Center for Health Statistics, 2005) • Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for adolescents (CDC, 2006) • Almost 1 in 12 adolescents in high school made a suicide attempt and17% seriously considered suicide during 2005 (CDC, 2006)

College Students and Mental Health • Risk factors for college students: • Significant loss [First or cumulative loss] • Prolonged stress • Unrelieved symptoms of distress [depression] • Changes in personality or lifestyle • Acculturation • Social isolation • Failure to meet expectations of others [Shame] • Financial stress • Academic failure

The Learning Environment:Developing a Supportive Experience Explain the importance of the activity/learning culture • Define expectations for student participation in activities or use of resources in by-laws, guidelines, and policies; Discuss and clarify these early • Introduce expectations early and model the desired behaviors • Language - Attendance • Punctuality - No harm • Respect - Role of leadership • Consult about the scope and enforcement of expectations and be consistent

Self-Care for Staff • Be aware of personal and professional limitations • Know your department’s procedures • Consult with others, e.g., faculty, staff, administrators, counselors, public safety • Make use of campus and community resources (See the How to Get Help – 911 Guide) • Review the experience and make a follow up plan with supervisor/consultant • Document interactions

Recognizing and Responding to Troubled and Disruptive Students

The Challenge of Change • Over time persons experience periods of increased stress when challenges related to decisions, goals and relationships arise. Often these experiences are accompanied by thoughts and emotions which produce sadness, anxiety, frustration, anger and confusion • While stressful, with support and help these periods of adjustment are often resolved with renewed perspectives on life, study and work

The Challenge of Change cont. • A persistence of sadness, anger, confusion and isolating behaviors may indicate a deepening concern and need for consultation • The goal of a supportive intervention is to encourage and facilitate the student’s use of helping resources • The role of staff is to identify the concerns and help refer to campus and community services

Tips for Recognizing the Troubled or Disruptive Student • Where possible, create baseline experiences [get to know the student over time] • Check your concerns and observations out with other faculty/staff • Avoid making assumptions based on stereotypes about mental health • Focus on behaviors and their consequences on the student and learning environment

Warning Signs:The Collective Wisdom • What are some things we look for in recognizing the student who may be having difficulty? • ………………………………… • ………………………………… • ………………………………… • …………………………………

Tips for Recognizing the Mildly Troubled Student • Mildly troubled students Behaviors do not necessarily disrupt others but indicate that something is troubling the student. There may be: • A decrease in achievement and diminished motivation • Increased absences and/or decreased participation • Difficulties with concentration and focus

Mildly Troubled Students cont: • Marked changes in interaction patterns with instructor, leadership and peers [avoidance, dependency, overly critical, constantly seeking approval] • Altered mood states, sadness, anxiety, irritability, lethargy, fearful • Unusual fatigue and sleeping during activities • Pre occupation with other issues • Missed deadlines or incomplete work • Diminished self-care including poor hygiene • May be open to accept an offer of help

Tips for Recognizing the Moderately Troubled Student • Moderately troubled students may: • Exhibit less perspective and tend to blame others • Display rapid changes in mood with an accompanying sense of helplessness • Make repeated requests for special consideration or adjustment to requirements • Express emotions more intensely, particularly when related to requests for relaxation of responsibilities

Moderately Troubled Students cont. • Behave in ways that are mildly disruptive to the activity/learning culture, [angry outbursts, walking out, failing to collaborate, attacking the opinions of others] • May fixate on a person or group as the source of their problem(s) • Be suspect or uncertain about an offer for help and require more persuasion to overcome reticence to get help

Helping the Mildly or Moderately Trouble Student • Consult with others on how best to constructively address your concerns and offer help • Work with the student on an individual level • Avoid promising confidentiality • Address any specific behaviors that represent infractions of the activity/learning culture –provide corrective and formative feedback • Be clear about expectations and consequences

Helping the Mildly or Moderately Trouble Student cont. • Refer the student to campus resources (e.g., Counseling Center, Student Mental Health, Dean of Students, Student Health Service) • Document your intervention and follow up to encourage the student to utilize resources • Keep your supervisor informed, have a follow up plan and review your next steps

Responding to the Severely Troubled and Disruptive Student The Severely Troubled/Disruptive Student may: • Be less likely to accept help and may view efforts to assist as intrusive and unwanted • Exhibit more intense expression of emotions with little regard for activity/organizational standards or deference to the role of instructor/leader • Reflect poor self-care and demonstrate a lack of empathy for others • Regularly fail to attend, be tardy, or walk out

The Severely Troubled and Disruptive Student cont. • Express high sense of entitlement • Be verbally antagonistic • Be unwilling to collaborate with peers and resist assuming responsibility • Have difficulty communicating, slurred speech or confused content • Exhibit a distorted sense of reality or be highly suspicious of others

The Severely Troubled and Disruptive Student cont. • Engage in stalking behaviors or inappropriate forms of contact such as veiled or threatening e-mails • Be hyper-vigilant and reactive to other’s opinions • Make veiled or overt references to suicidal or homicidal thoughts (May be in oral and written formats)

Tips for Responding to the Severely Troubled and Disruptive Student • Attend to your personal need for safety • Have someone meet the student with you • Meet in an area where resources are available to you • Use consultation resources • Supervisor/Professional Staff • Counseling Center or Student Mental Health • Dean of Students • If you think the student may become physically agitated, contact public safety personnel and have them present

Tips for Responding to the Severely Troubled and Disruptive Student If the student is agitated and/or a threat to harm themselves or others: • Maintain a safe distance – Do not touch the person • Present a calm demeanor • Avoid escalating your voice level and using provocative language • Do not respond in kind with antagonism • Remove yourself by indicating you will find someone else they can talk to … Get help and contact public safety personnel

Tips for Responding to the Severely Troubled and Disruptive Student If the student is able to discuss the problem and does not pose an imminent threat: • Listen to what the student says and convey an attitude of sincerity • Avoid assuring the student confidentiality • Focus on an aspect of the problem that can be managed • Explore what has worked successfully in the past • Make constructive suggestions but avoid making promises

Tips for Responding to the Severely Troubled and Disruptive Student • Identify potential options • Encourage the student to use help and offer ways to access the resources • Be persistent in efforts to encourage the student to use resources • If concerned, ask the student if s/he is considering not wanting to live – Often the person is looking for someone to notice their suffering. If yes, get help • Discuss your experience with your supervisor; Plan for next steps

Helping the Suicidal Person If you think the student may be suicidal: • Listen to the person; Allow time • Ask the question • Are you thinking about killing yourself • Are you thinking about not wanting to live • Promote the idea of getting help • Refer to campus and community resources • Consult with your supervisor, document your interactions and efforts to help and plan for follow up

Referring for Help: The Benefits of Consultation • Provides support for the academy’s staff during a period concern and crisis • Promotes stabilization and problem solving through assessment and intervention • May increase likelihood of retention [Iowa State study indicated overall student retention rate at 68% while students in counseling was 79%] • 4 year graduation rates higher for students seen at counseling center than for all students [University of Wyoming]

Referring for Help: The Benefits of Consultation cont. • As little as 3 – 6 sessions of counseling can positively impact academic performance [University of Missouri, Columbia] • 25% of students who drop out of school do so because of personal problems rather than academic difficulties • High association has been shown between severity of social/emotional problems and interference in academic functioning. Students in counseling reported increase in per semester GPA [Kansas State University]

Referring for Help • The best referral involves taking the person directly to someone who can help. • The next best referral is getting a commitment from them to accept help, then making the arrangements to get that help. • The third best referral is to give referral information and try to get a good faith agreement that student will seek assistance. Any willingness to accept help at some time, even if in the future, can be a positive outcome. • Follow Up

How to Get Help A Decision Making Tree and Resource Guide for Working with the Troubled and Disruptive Student

How to Get HelpConsultation/Intervention Decision Tree The Troubled Student The Disruptive Student A student who is troubled, confused, very sad, highly A student whose conduct is disruptive or dangerous, anxious, irritable, lacks in motivation and or concentration, verbally or physically threatening, active threats of suicide demonstrating bizarre behavior or thinking about suicide. and resisting help. Consultation ResourcesConsultation/Intervention Resources Questions about emotional/behavioral issues and getting helpRule out the possibility of harm to self or others Call: Counseling Center 392-1575 If physical safety of student or others is concern Student Mental Health 392-1171 Student is on campus: Call University Police 392-1111 After Office Hours: Student is off campus: Call 911 for Alachua County Crisis Ctr 264-6789 Alachua County Sheriff or Gainesville Police Dept Student Mental Health 392-1171 And/OrThen Administrative/Judicial procedural concernsAdministrative/Judicial procedural concerns Call: Dean of Students Office 392-1261 Call: Dean of Students Office 392-1261 After Office Hours: After Office Hours: Emergency Dean on Call 392-1111 Emergency Dean on Call 392-1111 And/Or And/Or Academic StatusCampus emergency counseling or health resources Call: Associate Dean for Student Affairs- College Counseling Center 392-1575 Department Chair or Program Coordinator Student Mental Health 392-1171 Student Health Services 392-1161 For a student off campus at the time: Call: Alachua County Crisis Center 264-6789

Campus and Community Resources University Resources • Dean of Students Office 392-1261 • Counseling Center 392-1575 • Student Mental Health 392-1171 • Student Health Services 392-1161 • University Police Department 392-1111 • Office of Victim Services 392-5648 • International Center 392-5323 • Housing and Residence Education 392-2171 • Division of Student Affairs 392-1265 • Employee Assistance Program 392-5787

Resources cont. Community Resources • Alachua County Crisis Center 264-6789 • Alachua County Sheriff 911 • Gainesville Police Department 911 • Alachua County Fire/Rescue 911 • Gainesville Fire/Rescue 911 • Information and Referral Services 332-4636

Course Syllabus:Areas to Outline Expectations • Attendance/Absences • Punctuality • Use of cell phone/text messaging • Language • Owning one’s opinions • Course grading and deadlines • Team work • Role of the Leader • Safety • Office hours/Appointments

Setting the Expectations: Samples • Sample statement: • Attendance and the Learning Culture: Attendance during course activities promotes an optimal learning experience. It is expected each person will make an effort to come prepared to participate. • Interaction with others: Respect for diverse opinions, responsible communication with others and constructive behavior are expected.

Working with the Troubled or Disruptive Student