Transcript Responding to Troubled and At-Risk Students A Joint NASPA

The “Illinois Approach” to
Responding to Troubled and AtRisk Students and Employees
A Panel Presentation and
Discussion
August 18, 2008
Paul Joffe, Counseling Center
Jeff Christensen, Division of Public Safety
Katherine Galvin, Office of Legal Counsel
Number of
Students
Students Registered at DRES for Cognitive
Psychiatric Disabilities--630% Increase
Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 1996-2005
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
612
510
346
97
129
164 176
222
422
225
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Academic Year
Definition:
Public Mental Health Crisis
A public mental health crisis is defined as
any incident that occurs in a public setting
and results in another member of the
community being alarmed, distressed and/or
disturbed and which involves a known or
perceived mental health issue.
Examples of Mental Health Crises
• A suicide attempt that occurs in the
residence halls
• Non-suicidal cutting that draws the attention
of other students
• Public intoxication
• The expression of persistent and unwelcome
romantic interest
• The expression of a paranoid delusion
Number of Suicide
Incident Reports
Reported Suicide Incidents (threats, attempts, completed)
University of Illiniois, Urbana-Champaign 1995-2006
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
170
140
90
141
139
156
141
102
77
78
72
1995- 1996- 1997- 1998- 1999- 2000- 2001- 2002- 2003- 2004- 20051996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Academic Year
Number of
Referrals
Referrals for Alcohol/Drug Assessments
Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 2000-2005
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
566
290
331
386
439
2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005
Academic Year
In responding to troubled and atrisk students, the single most
important step a campus can take
is to take charge of the campus
community and any crisis that
might occur in the campus
community.
Case Example:
Taking Charge in Romantic Context
• Matt is a 24 year-old Ph.D. candidate in humanities
• E-mails the professor of a class he is taking a series of
provocative messages indicating romantic interest.
• She ignores the romantic content and focuses on academic
issues.
• Mid-semester, he shows up after class to go to a “planned
dinner.”
• She asks him to leave and he refuses.
• She phones the police who over the phone ask him to
leave. He refuses.
• Police arrive and ask him to leave. He does.
Note:
• Matt’s conduct did not cross a criminal
threshold that might lead to his arrest.
• Because the professor declined to file a
report, Matt’s conduct was not in violation
of the Student Code.
• While Matt did not make an actual threat,
his conduct was alarming and threatening.
Principles of In-Chargeness
• Those who become violent usually have deepseated issues around control and being in-charge.
• Those who become violent, usually have a history
of small-scale incidents in which they engage in
conflicts of control or in-chargeness.
• Many people have issues of control/being in
charge.
• Only a small handful of people with issues of
control/being in charge will eventually become
violent.
• It’s important to respond to all students who
display issues of control/being in charge via small
scale precursor incidents. These would include
small ruptures in the fabric of civility.
The University’s Practice of
Progressive Engagement
• Matt is called to a meeting with Director of Graduate
Studies, who expresses his concern/alarm and future
expectations.
• Matt is instructed not to attend class the following Monday
and not to contact the professor by any means.
• Matt is called into a meeting the department head (also his
advisor) who expresses concern/alarm and future
expectations.
• Matt is called to a meeting with the Director of the Office of
Conflict Resolution.
• Provisions are made for Matt to complete the course as an
independent study with another member of the faculty.
• Matt abides by all limits and expectations.
Taking Charge in Context of Suicidal
Intent
• In 1984 the University of Illinois established a
standard of self-welfare.
• Self-inflicted injury for the purpose of ending
one’s life was considered a violation of this
standard.
• Students who threatened or attempted suicide were
required to attend four sessions of mandated
assessment.
• The university took suicide off the table as an
option for students.
Results
• Since 1984 approximately 3000 students
have gone through the program.
• The rate of suicide has been reduced by 46
percent.
• Only one student has been withdrawn. She
was subsequently readmitted after three
months.
Virginia Tech Report:
Recommendation IV-4
“Incidents of aberrant, dangerous, or
threatening behavior must be documented
and reported immediately to a college’s
threat assessment group, and must be acted
upon in a prompt and effective manner to
protect the safety of the campus
community.”
Illinois Approach: Key Elements
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Key thresholds
Call to engagement
Wrap around community
Micro-culture of limits and expectations
Alternate being in charge and not being in
charge
• Stepwise process
• Student self-demonstrates his/her fitness to be
in school
Six Behavioral Thresholds
1.
2.
3.
4.
Suicide attempt/threat
Homicidal threat
Significant homicidal ideation
Substantially and inappropriately “incharge”
5. Persistent pursuit of options that don’t
reasonably exist
6. Presence of a delusion
The Call to Engagement
• The crossing of a behavioral threshold
becomes a call to the community to engage
with the student (e.g., a suicide attempt or
persisting unwanted romantic attention).
• The engagement is diverse and spans both
the personal and the administrative, the
formal and the informal, the encouraging
and the expectant.
• The engagement is coordinated and
consistent across several members of the
community.
Elements of Engagement
1. Members of the community express concern
over the recent incident.
2. Members of the community convey the
seriousness of the situation.
3. Members of the community clarify the
boundaries of the domains in which the student
and others are legitimately in charge.
4. Members of the community clarify what
reasonable options exist.
5. Members of the community establish explicit
limits for future conduct.
6. Members of the community notify the student of
the consequences for failing to adhere to limits.
Ten Core Practices
1. Team approach (7 specialized teams)
2. Trained reporting network
3. No contract
4. No trespass
5. Point of contact
6. Exhausted all route of appeal
7. Systematic disengagement
8. Virtual teams/executive coaching
9. Letter of expectation
10. A shift to formal process only
The U of Illinois’ Seven Teams
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Suicide Prevention Team
Eating Disturbances Intervention Team
Alcohol/Substance Abuse Intervention Team
Trauma Response Team
Interpersonal Violence Working Group
Workplace Violence Working Group
Special Situations Working Group
Special Situations Team
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Legal Counsel
Counseling Center
McKinley Health Center
Office of the Dean of Students
Campus Police
Housing Division
Graduate College
Office of the Provost
Office of the Chancellor
Office of Student Conflict Resolution
Office of Equal Opportunity and Access
Office of International Student and Scholar Services
Colleagues:
Occasionally it is helpful to limit a student’s contact to a
single University entity when the student has contacted
several units attempting to address problems and concerns.
Identifying a single person with whom the student can work
helps the student focus her or his energies on problem-solving
and assists our various units by keeping them from working at
cross or overlapping purposes.
I ask that you direct current student “student’s name” to Dean
“deans name:” as her contact point for the University to
discuss her student and employment status.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Police Response and Resources
• Importance of (pre-incident) intervention
• Case Review
– July 2007, 4th and Green St., Champaign
– 1996 – 1998, Benjamin Smith
– 2008, Steven Kazmierczak
• Prevention is KEY; Response is CRITICAL
– Preparation over panic
– Police response to active threats
• http://www.dps.uiuc.edu/activethreat.htm
Safety Issues as Presented in the
Employment Context
Same Intervention Model for Students
and Employees
Overarching Principles:
•Be Pro-active
•Focus on Conduct & Impact on Environment
•Communicate & Enforce Expectations
• Engage the Community & Access Resources
Inclination & Desire to be
Compassionate
How do we best accomplish that goal to help
an employee who may be in crisis?
Early, Clear, Consistent and Firm
Supervision is Compassionate
• Confronting problems early is the most
compassionate thing to do for the person in
crisis.
– Helps them get to the resources they may need.
– Preserves working environment & relationships
– Avoids more serious and possibly irredeemable
consequences
It is in the best interests of coworkers, colleagues & staff
• Safety First: ensures that this highest
principle is honored & pursued.
• Protects employees from adverse work and
educational environments.
It is in the Institution’s Best Interest
• Protects against litigation and liability.
• Allows proper & undistracted focus on
higher education mission.
Focus on conduct and not the person.
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Don’t diagnose.
Don’t speculate.
Don’t discuss (with caveats).
Do be aware and document how conduct is
impacting the employee’s work and the
work environment of others.
Document, Document, Document
• Keep good records of the problems and
your responses to them.
• Every verbal counseling should be followed
up with a written summary to the employee.
• Provide clear guidance regarding
expectations and consequences.
Confidentiality
• Preserve Confidentiality to the fullest extent
possible and reasonable.
• SAFETY FIRST: make appropriate
disclosures to attempt to keep the employee,
the campus and the public safe.
• If in doubt, ask for guidance.
You don’t have to do it alone - You
have excellent resources available.
• It may be new to you, but it isn’t to others.
• Don’t delay asking for help.
– New administrators may want to identify some situation early on in
their new role and seek out one of the resource contacts to work
through the situation.
• Trust us: we also want what is best for the
employee, your unit and the institution.
Your Resources
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Academic Human Resources, 3.6747
Staff Human Resources, 3.3101
UA, Employee Relations & Human Resources, 4.1397
Counseling Center, 3.3704
Office of the Dean of Students, 3.0050
Division of Public Safety
– Non-emergency, 3.1216
– Emergency from campus phone 9.911
• Office of Legal Counsel, 3.0560
Relevant Policies
• Policy on Workplace Violence,
http://www.fs.uiuc.edu/cam/CAM/ix/ixa/ix-a-19.html
• Environmental, Health and Safety
Responsibilities of Deans, Directors and
Heads of Academic and Administrative
Units,
http://www.fs.uiuc.edu/cam/CAM/v/v-b1.2.html