Developing Skills and Competencies Among Behavior Intervention Teams and Team Members

1. Developing Skills and Competencies Among Behavior Intervention Teams and Team Members Charles Kenyon, Ed.D. Associate VP and Dean of Students Karen O’Quin, Ph.D. Associate Dean, School of Natural and Social Sciences

2. Workshop Agenda • Brief history of BIT at Buffalo State • BIT Team self-evaluation exercises (3) • Self-reflection • Sharing (small and large group) • Discussion of key issues • Review of case examples

3. Brief History of Our Team The changing names reflected a changing emphasis

4. Self-Evaluation Exercise #1:Factors Affecting Team Performance Complete the worksheet provided to assess strengths and weaknesses at your campus. Characteristics of Members The Team Process Ongoing Operational Concerns Working with Key Constituents Developing Team Performance

5. Factors Affecting Team Performance:Characteristics of Members Diversity of team members across organizational units • Dean of Students (chair) • Counseling Center • University Police • Residence Life (managerial and judicial) • Academic Associate Deans • Disability Services • Health Center • Student Judicial • Student Affairs (Greek issues) • Athletics on occasional basis

6. Factors Affecting Team Performance:Characteristics of Members • Diversity of team members across organizational units • Dean of Students (chair) • Counseling Center • University Police • Residence Life (managerial and judicial) • Academic Associate Deans • Disability Services • Health Center • Student Judicial, Student Affairs (Greek life), Athletics on occasion • Consider impact on learning about and responding to incidents

7. Factors Affecting Team Performance:Characteristics of Members • Diversity of team members across organizational units • Reputation of team members • Among faculty and staff • Among students • Impact of role / position relationships • Tenure status / position security

8. Factors Affecting Team Performance: The Team Process • Access of members to information about incidents and individuals: “Collecting” the dots • University Police reports • Residence Hall reports • Reports from classes (faculty) and offices (staff) • Online reporting form (developed in the past year) • Student reports

9. On-Line Reporting • Website at the Dean of Students home page: http://www.buffalostate.edu/deanofstudents/x618.xml • Students of Concern reporting process • On-line report form • Links to resources

10. Factors Affecting Team Performance: The Team Process • During the meetings • Access of members to information about incidents and individuals • Communication within the team • Ability to assess the relevance of information to threat potential • Decision rules / process

13. Factors Affecting Team Performance: The Team Process • Post-Meeting investigation and follow-up • Investigation process and performance / interview skills of investigators • Confidentiality vs. the need to get background information from other faculty or staff who work with the student • Feedback from the team to those who report a student of concern

14. Case: GH • Accepted graduate student • Shared “writing” samples with graduate dean • Address at psychiatric center • Writings included references to past incarceration and weapons-related information • Strong evidence of obsessive behavior

15. Case: GH

16. Case: GH • Insert picture

17. Case GH

18. Case GH

19. DEVELOPMENT OF AN AVENGER • Perceived Injustice • Feeling Victimized • Externalization of Responsibility • Development of Grudge • Obsessed with Avenging • Avenging Action John Nicolette, Ph. D, Nicolette-Flater Associates

20. Self-Evaluation Exercise #2:Factors Affecting Team Performance Complete the worksheet provided to assess strengths and weaknesses at your campus. Characteristics of Members The Team Process Ongoing Operational Concerns Working with Key Constituents Developing Team Performance

21. Factors Affecting Team Performance: Ongoing Operational Concerns • Leadership / authority within the team • History of cooperation (or conflict) among campus units • Tracking student incidents and follow up • Time to conduct team-related duties in addition to other regular duties • Case Manager role added to existing job of one team member

22. Case Manager Role • Created to ensure monitoring and follow-up • Aligned with Counseling Center and Dean of Students offices • Answers the question of “Who” takes action for many – but not all – of the students of concern • Allows greater consistency of response

23. Factors Affecting Team Performance: Ongoing Operational Concerns • Accountability for timely follow-up and intervention • Authority of the team within the institution • What matters can the team decide? • What actions must others approve? • Communication between the team and the campus community • Frequency of meetings

25. Factors Affecting Team Performance: Working with Key Constituents: Faculty • Faculty culture of sharing / reporting • What faculty need / want in order to view the team as an appropriate resource • Need support for faculty who report a student of concern, especially where on-going relationships with the student of concern exist • Faculty are both reporters and informants

26. Case: HH • Student disregards advisor • Uses registrar staff to secure courses • Challenges department chair • Erratic behavior in class and at department office • Transfer from a Canadian university • Border Patrol reveals alternate identity • Weak academic performance

27. Factors Affecting Team Performance: Working with Key Constituents: Students • Student culture of sharing / reporting • Compact for a Civil and Caring Academic Community • Do Your Part campaign • Students are both reporters and informants • Need support for students who report their peers, especially where on-going relationships with a student of concern exist (roommates / classmates / teammates, etc.)

28. Factors Affecting Team Performance: Working with Key Constituents: Leaders • Leadership role in intervention decisions • Keeping campus leadership informed of the team’s activity and results • Keeping the campus community informed of the team’s activity and results

29. Self-Evaluation Exercise #3:Factors Affecting Team Performance Complete the worksheet provided to assess strengths and weaknesses at your campus. Characteristics of Members The Team Process Ongoing Operational Concerns Working with Key Constituents Developing Team Performance

30. Methods for Developing Team Performance • Team retreats • Expert consultants (forensic psychiatrist, Registrar, Social Work chair, etc.) • Attendance at professional association conferences • Team process reviews during regular meetings • Webinars (NaBITA / NCHERM, etc.)

31. Retreat Expert: Forensic Evaluation • Clinical interview plus information from other sources (school records, psychologist reports) • Seeks to verify what a person is saying • Different from counseling goal of support • Interviews used to confront discrepancies by reference to what is learned from other sources

32. Indicators of Need for Forensic Evaluation • Is it a psychotic episode or event? • Is it a recurring event? • Is it increasing in frequency or intensity? • Are motives unclear? • Are there substance abuse issues? • Does the person appear dangerous?

33. Conference Presentation ExampleDetection, Disruption &Prevention of Insider/ OutsiderPerpetrated Violence SUNY Chiefs of Police Association John Nicolette, Ph. D Nicolette-Flater Associates 303-989-1617 www.n-fa.com

34. Conference Presentation Example BEHAVIORAL CODING: • Normal Behaviors • Boundary Probing Behaviors • Attack-Related Behaviors • Attack Behaviors John Nicolette, Ph. D, Nicolette-FlaterAssociates

35. Conference Presentation Example PREDICTING FUTURE VIOLENCE: The best predictor of future behavior is not past behavior but post-intervention behavior. John Nicolette, Ph. D, Nicolette-Flater Associates

36. Conference Presentation ExampleAlways Interrupt/Disrupt the BehaviorJohn Nicolette, Ph. D, Nicolette-Flater Associates

37. DON’T WORRY ALONE or MAKE UNILATERAL RISK ASSESSMENTS Note: Faculty often make unilateral risk assessments and don’t report. John Nicolette, Ph. D, Nicolette-Flater Associates

38. Keep the “team” in yourCare Team Do what is needed to strengthen your team’s performance.

39. Buffalo State College: • A Civil and Caring Academic Community. Thank You Charles B. Kenyon Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Campbell Student Union, 306 716-878-4618 kenyoncb@buffalostate.edu Karen O’Quin Associate Dean, Natural and Social Sciences Classroom Building, A113 716-878-6434 oquink@buffalostate.edu