Communications - Academic Affairs

Business School
June 16, 2016
Kelly S. Hennessy, Ed.D., Associate Dean of Students
Introductions:
Health & Wellness
 Angela Lauer Chong, J.D.
 Assistant Vice President/Dean of Students/Interim Athletic
Director
 Kelly S. Hennessy, Ed.D.
 Associate Dean of Students/Interim Assistant Vice President
for Health & Wellness
 Mark Forest, Ph.D.
• Director of Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)
 Noryba Ritman & Kasey March (Interim)
 Dean of Students Case Manager
What is a “student of concern”
or “care student”?
Annoying
behaviors;
minor
fluctuations in
mood,
appearance,
attendance
Think DDT: Distressing, Disruptive, Threatening Behaviors
Suicidal or life
threatening
behaviors;
significant
neglect in self
care; disregard
for academic
responsibilities
Why do faculty have a role in this?
 Faculty are more available and more knowledgeable about the
college environment than a student’s previous support system of
friends and family
 You may be the first to recognize something is wrong & support
the students
 You are in an excellent position to identify and respond to a
student of concern
 You must be able to establish and maintain an appropriate
learning environment
 If/as Chair, new faculty (or faculty new to situation) may need
support
ACHA/NCHA Spring 2014 Data
Nationally
TCNJ
 33.2% of all college students say
 32.8% of all college students say
they felt so depressed they found it
difficult to function in the past
school year.
 47.8% felt things were hopeless
during the past year
 87.1% felt overwhelmed by all they
had to do during the past year
 54.7% felt overwhelming anxiety
during the past school year
they felt so depressed they found it
difficult to function in the past
school year
 46.8% felt things were hopeless
during the past year
 86.2% felt overwhelmed by all they
had to do during the past year
 56.4% felt overwhelming anxiety
during the past school year
Multidimensional Leadership Assessment (MLA) 2015
• Lower Resiliency
Protective Factors:
 Supportive social and family networks
 Problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills
 Ability to regulate emotions
 Ability to cope
 Positive future
 Cultural or religious beliefs
 Seeking mental health assistance
 Current practices in H&W strategies
Creating a Community of Care:
The 3 R’s
 Review observed behavior.
 Safety concerns?
 Any significant changes?
 If in doubt, always consult.
 Reach out to the student.
 Refer to appropriate resource(s).
 The “soft” hand-off
What Faculty Might Observe
 Primarily Looking for a Significant Change in:
Appearance: dress, hygiene
Communications: quieter, more verbose, disjointed
Behavior: interactions, performance, attendance,
demeanor
Personality
Competencies: classroom and academic skills
Reasons Faculty might refer:
 Missing classes
 Homesickness
 Physical Illness
 Grief/Bereavement
 Mental Health
 Disruptive Behavior
 Life situations that impact academics
 Not sure who else to turn to
Reaching Out: Setting the Stage
 Environment
 Expectations
 Checking In
 Knowledge of Resources
 Role-modeling
 Promoting the Positive
 Student organizations/engagement
 Wellness programming/services
 Mindfulness Meditation/Counseling groups
What to say…
 Starting the conversation:
 I’ve noticed…
 I’m concerned about…
 We need to talk.
 Referring:
 Have you ever thought about…
 Let me walk you over to…
 If you would like, you can make the call from my office…
 Why don’t I make a call for you…
 I reached out to the Dean of Students office…
 Checking In:
 I wanted to follow up and see if you reached out to any of the resources we talked
about.
 I was interested in how your have been doing.
Referral: Directly with Student
 Let the student know that it is not necessary to know
exactly what is wrong in order to seek assistance
 Assure the student that seeking help does not
necessarily mean their problems are unusual or
extremely serious
 Be frank about your own limits of time, energy, training,
and objectivity
 Likely to involve visit to CAPS, Student Affairs,
Disability Services, AVI, etc. but could be Care report to
Dean of Students
Referral: Absent Student Input
 If any concerns of imminent threat to self or others call
Campus Police: 609.771.2345 or 911
 Fill out the Care Report form and submit:
https://caps.tcnj.edu/in-case-of-an-emergency/student-ofconcern/
 Contact the Office of the Dean of Students at
609.771.CARE (2273)
What Happens Next???
Care Team
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Team Members
Purpose
DOS Team Members
Counseling & Psych Services
TCNJ Clinic
Student Health Services
Anti-Violence Initiatives
Alcohol & Other Drug Ed
Residential Education
Disability Support Services
Campus Police
Academic Affairs
Educational Opportunity Fund
Center for Student Success
Student Conduct & Dispute Resolution
To serve the College and individual
students by arranging, coordinating,
monitoring, evaluating, and advocating
for assistance and support for students
in need.
Through collaboration and
coordination of resources, the Care
Team seeks to foster academic and
personal success and health and
wellbeing of students.
Behavior Assessment &
Response Team
Team Membership
 Dean of Students Team
 Counseling & Psych Services
 TCNJ Clinic
 Campus Police
 Records & Registration
 Residential Education
 Academic Affairs
 Student Conduct
 General Counsel
Mission
The Behavior Assessment and
Response Team is committed to
improving community safety
through a proactive, collaborative,
coordinated, objective, and
thoughtful approach to the
prevention, identification,
assessment, intervention, and
management of situations that
pose, or may reasonably pose, a
threat to the safety and well-being
of the campus community.
Care Team
2013-14: 100 students (all)
2014-15: over 250 students
2015-16: over 530 students
Behavior Assessment & Response Team:
2014-15: 12 students
2015-16: 35 students (not final #)
Ways Counseling & Psychological
Services supports students
 Individual one-on-one Counseling
 Groups (14-17 groups per semester)
 Consultation
 Case Management
 Referrals
 Online Database
 Through counselor
 Helping Students in Distress document
 Online Resources for parents, faculty/staff, and students
Ways Dean of Students Office
supports students
Foster a community of care
Liaison to Records and Registration
Faculty Notifications of Prolonged Absences
Non-clinical Case Management
Connections to Resources (on and off-campus)
Post-transport care
Postvention Response
Response to loss of a student
Application of Involuntary Health & Safety
Withdrawal Policy (updating Summer 2016)
Faculty/
DOS Partnership
• Answering questions
• Providing resources
• Faculty Consultation
• Incompletes (appropriate verse not
appropriate)
• Class accommodations
• Requests from students in your department
• Higher Level Student Issues
• Death of a Student
Thoughts on FERPA
• FERPA allows communication about a specific student
among institution of higher education (IHE) staff, faculty,
and administrators who are concerned about the welfare of
the student or community
• An education record is defined broadly to include all records
directly related to a student and maintained by or on behalf
of an IHE (aggregate of the IHE’s recorded information,
e.g., exams, papers, emails, parking tickets, discipline
complaints and materials)
• FERPA does not consider counseling records part of a
student’s “education record.”
QUESTIONS???