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BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY Counseling Center |
Faculty Guide
How and When to Refer Students to the UCC Disruptive Students: A Liability, Policy, and Ethical Overview (Journal of Legal Studies Education - BU Web Accounts Only) Responding to Disturbing Content in Students' Work Talking To Students About Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Abusive Relationships |
A Guide for Faculty to the Services of the University Counseling Center
When we look back, college years seem to have been the best years of our lives. When we take a more critical look, the reality is often more stressful and difficult than we would like to remember. Although college students manage to have fun, college is also a time of vast developmental changes that are not always easily handled.
For most, it is the first time away from home and family. It is also the first time they need to learn to manage time, money, relationships, academics, personal freedom, and make decisions regarding alcohol and other drug use, as well as plans for their future. The majority of students deal with the many transitions college brings with great success. However, for some students, the pressures can seem unmanageable.
With the many resources available on campus specifically for these purposes, why a brochure for faculty on students in distress?
Students who are becoming overwhelmed by the pressures they experience will not leave their reactions in the residence hall room, or at home. Their confusion, anger, hurt, frustration and anxiety come to class with them. That's where you come in. Faculty are often the first point of contact for students in emotional difficulty. As a faculty member; your expression of interest and concern may mean the difference in college being the "best years" - in reality or merely memory - for a student.
It is not, of course, the responsibility of any faculty member to deal one-on-one with a student's emotional difficulties. Faculty can, however, play an extremely important role in referring students for help - not only because they are often in a position to first notice a student's upset condition, but because a student's respect and regard for a professor play a role in their willingness to accept a referral.
We hope this brochure will be helpful to you if you encounter troubled students in your classes, and need to know how to get them to the resources they need.
Return to Table of ContentsEveryone, at one time or another, has experienced unhappiness or depression. The "blues" are common to everyone, and usually don't last long. But we are able to identify certain patterns of behavior which, when present over a period of time, indicate that something is wrong, and professional help may be needed.
Behaviors that indicate emotional distress are not always disruptive to the classroom. However, faculty is in a unique position to observe the patterns a student's actions suggest.
Some behaviors that may not be disruptive, but may indicate a need for help, are:
Sometimes students, even those in significant distress, are reluctant or unable to acknowledge a need for help. Behaviors which may indicate severe distress include:
Although it is fairly rare, some students are so disturbed that they become disruptive in the class situation. Many faculty will make efforts to contain the situation and deal with it directly by speaking with the student after class about their behavior. There the student may reveal personal problems and a referral to the University Counseling Center can be made. Often, however, the first effort may not get results. Calling the Counseling Center for a consultation might prove to be helpful. Together, we may develop a strategy to deal with the disruptive behavior and get the student some help. Discussing the disruptive student with your Department Chair or Dean would also prove to be helpful. In the case of a dangerous or threatening student, Public Safety (777-2222) or 911 (if using on-campus phone), as well as the University Counseling Center (777-2772), would be important calls to make.
Return to Table of ContentsHighly disruptive behaviors, hostility, aggressiveness, violence, etc.
Some situations are not as obvious as crises, yet you may know that something needs to be done. We hope the information in this section will help you deal with those less clear-cut situations.
You have a variety of choices for dealing with behavior which indicate to you that a student may be troubled, but not in crisis. You may choose to ignore it, handle it in a "strictly business" way (i.e., in terms only with respect to the classroom), or you may choose to handle it more personally. Calling the University Counseling Center may be helpful in deciding which course of action you would like to take.
If you decide to approach the student or the student approaches you directly - and you decide to handle the problem personally:
Although some faculty have an excellent "natural" style of working with students, many would feel more comfortable building their skills with training. Through an ongoing program called HUB, the University Counseling Center provides training in counseling skills to volunteer faculty and staff of the University. After a period of training, volunteers may work with individual students in supervised counseling. Many faculty find this training to be enriching as well as helpful to students seeking help.
Return to Table of ContentsCrises are the easiest form of student distress to identify and, in some ways, the easiest to handle. Assistance and emergency referral procedures are outlined here for your convenience:
There are times when it is clearly not in anyone's best interest for you to try to handle a student's distress personally. You may not be able to give enough time, or may know that your personality differences will get in the way, or may genuinely dislike the student. Whatever the reason or reasons, there are times it is best to turn the problem over to someone else.
Some students will accept a referral for help more readily than others. How you make the referral can make all the difference in whether it is accepted, and how the student perceives your need to do it.
Be frank with the student about your limitations in ability to help. Most will understand that you don't have the time or training, or simply that this is not what your job is. It means a lot, though, that you care enough to try to help. You can also be invaluable in dispelling some of the stereotypes that surround the idea of counseling.
Students may feel that they have to be severely disturbed or, at the very least, know exactly what is wrong with them in order to seek counseling. It can be very comforting for them to know that many students seek counseling, and that often they do so because they are confused about what they are feeling or thinking.
There are three ways in which you can make a referral to the Counseling Center:
If you contact the Counseling Center in a crisis situation, someone will talk with you immediately. We may come to the scene or we may determine that Public Safety should respond as soon as possible. From that point on, the situation is usually handled exclusively by Counseling staff and/or Public Safety. Once students have dealt with us, we consider them clients, and we are bound by confidentiality regarding our conversations with them. With their written permission, we may fill you in on limited details.
Return to Table of ContentsSome students are reluctant to go to the Counseling Center because they don't know what to expect. Upon arrival, all students are asked to fill out an intake form, which is a basic information form. This is kept as part of their confidential file. Many students wonder if counseling appointments or information will somehow end up on their "permanent record." The answer is no. All sessions are free, private, and confidential. Only with the student's written permission are we free to share information with anyone.
Students will meet with a member of the counseling staff for about an hour, or perhaps less. Some emergencies require more, so we try to give students all the time they need.
Students will usually see whoever has the first available opening at the time the appointment is made. However, students may feel free to request to speak with a specific member of the staff, if they like. During busy times, however, this may present the student with a delay in being seen.
During the first session, the counselor will usually try to ascertain what the problem or issue is. They will try to see if counseling is the best approach to it and give a brief explanation of the counseling process. The counselor will usually wind up by asking the student if they wish to make another appointment, wait and call if they need to talk more, or would like a referral to another person or agency.
Return to Table of ContentsOften student problems have a negative impact on their academic work, and they find it difficult to follow through on their academic responsibilities. They come to faculty with involved tales of interpersonal or family difficulties, which they hope will elicit sympathy and produce an incomplete/extension from the faculty member. To spare the faculty member the problems involved in separating a legitimate excuse ("beyond the student's control") from one that is more manipulative, the University Counseling Center will make a recommendation to you after meeting with the student.
Occassionally students will tell you they have a learning or psychological disability and request special academic accommodations. In these circumstances a referral to the Counseling Center or to Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) (Phone 777-2686) would be appropriate. Services for Students with Disabilities will make specific recommendations regarding "reasonable" academic accommodations. In some circumstances, we will advise SSD staff regarding a student situation, and/or conduct an evaluation to augment the documentation being reviewed by the SSD staff. In sum, we will indicate to you whether there is enough evidence to warrant a deviation from the rules. Client confidentiality will be maintained; therefore, we may not be able to share with you any specific details about the student's situation.
There are times when faculty or staff find themselves in need of counseling or psychotherapy and are unaware of the resources available to them. The University Counseling Center is available for an interview to help determine the need for treatment and to give community referrals to faculty and staff of the university. Our resources do not allow us to go further to provide counseling for faculty/staff. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is another resource (777-6655).
Working in high pressure situations, such as today's university, can often generate stress and interpersonal problems, creating an atmosphere that is difficult at best. We have often been called to work with these situations, within a department or office, in order to ease the tension or to resolve the difficulties. We are available for confidential consultation on these matters and offer our services to departments or offices who find themselves in this unfortunate situation.
The types of student problems that the staff have worked with at the University Counseling Center include the following:
Adapted by R. David Kissinger, Ph.D. from a brochure written by Lisa A. Oristian, SUNY Morrisville - August, 1994
1. Introduction