Residence Hall Staff Response to Student Mental Health Needs

Residence Hall Staff Response to Student Mental Health Needs
Author: Kelly Marie Cole
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN: 9781369200836

Mental health is an important issue facing today's college student population, with common student concerns being anxiety, depression, relationship problems and suicidal ideations. As college student mental health continues to gain attention, residence hall professional staff seek to develop programs and support mechanisms to address the needs of the students living in their communities. Given the complexity of their jobs, and often limited professional experience, it is important to examine how prepared residence hall professional staff feel to respond to the diverse needs of their student populations, and to fulfill the broad range of responsibilities associated with their roles. This qualitative study examines the types of mental health issues professional residence hall staff are faced with, when and how they encounter students with such needs, their self-perception of readiness to respond to student mental health needs, and whether or not mental health training and preparation programs align with the perceived needs of these staff members. Findings suggest that residence hall professional staff encounter a myriad of student mental health needs consistent with those referenced in the literature. Study participants' feelings of preparedness developed over time and with experience. Those reporting higher levels of readiness demonstrated a clear understanding of departmental expectations related to student mental health response, or had academic backgrounds in counseling. While training aligned with perceived needs in areas such as depression and suicidal ideations, there are many areas of student mental health where staff demonstrated a need for additional training and preparation. This study provides a variety of recommendations for institutional practice based on the findings.

College Students in Distress

College Students in Distress
Author: Bruce Sharkin
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 147
Release: 2013-04-15
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1135797358

Be prepared to deal with campus situations that involve students in emotional crisis College Students in Distress provides college personnel with invaluable information on how to identify and refer emotionally troubled students for professional counseling. Dr. Bruce S. Sharkin, a staff psychologist at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, addresses general warning signs of student distress, symptoms of specific psychological problems such as anxiety and depression, guidelines for interventions, and methods of making a referral for counseling. The book also examines current mental health issues for college students and provides an overview of common campus policies and procedures, such as psychological emergencies, withdrawal and readmission, and mandatory counseling. College Students in Distress provides the answers you need to manage difficultand potentially dangeroussituations on campus. Case examples based on real-life experiences give you a clear sense of what can happen when responding to students in emotional distress, particularly when dealing with specific issues and student populations, and will help in your efforts to review and/or revise the current practices of your school. This unique book is essential as a resource and referral guide that raises awareness of this growing national problem without being limited to the characteristics of a particular college or university. Topics examined in College Students in Distress include: the impact of mental health problems on academics the roles and functions of college counseling services indicators of emotional disturbance suicidal behavior self-inflicted harm eating disorders guidelines for intervention accommodations for students with psychological disabilities and much more College Students in Distress is a must-read for faculty and staff members, particularly those working in residential life, student health, and public safety, and for administrative offices within student services and student affairs.

College Student Mental Health

College Student Mental Health
Author: Heidi Levine
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2017-01-13
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1119359376

In recent years, there has been heightened attention paid to the mental health needs of college students, the range and scope of these issues, and the challenges related to providing mental health services. Counseling center data, changing legal mandates and anecdotal reports from senior practitioners all point to the growing complexity of managing these issues. This volume examines clinical issues for student affairs professionals beyond the counseling center– addressing how campuses can be prepared for and respond to mental health issues. It helps readers cultivate a community-centered understanding of and sense of shared responsibility for promoting mental health, knowledge about best practices for service provision, and strategies for dealing with mental health issues pertaining to specific student populations and issues within the environment. Topics covered include: Contextual and foundational information related to current student mental health trends, Mental health aspects of certain populations including military-connected students, students on the autism spectrum, and international student, Bigger-picture, systemic issues related to mental health faced by colleges and universities, and Future directions of mental health on campuses. This is the 156th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly series. An indispensable resource for vice presidents of student affairs, deans of students, student counselors, and other student services professionals, New Directions for Student Services offers guidelines and programs for aiding students in their total development: emotional, social, physical, and intellectual.

Students' Mental Health Needs

Students' Mental Health Needs
Author: Nicky Stanley
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2002
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781853029837

Student life is a time of change and adjustment, and their families as well as staff need resources to help them provide support for students experiencing mental health difficulties. This book explores how the needs of students can best be met by student and community mental health services.

The Resident Assistant

The Resident Assistant
Author: Gregory S. Blimling
Publisher: Kendall Hunt
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2003
Genre: College students
ISBN: 9780787298678

A Staff Guide to Addressing Disruptive and Dangerous Behavior on Campus

A Staff Guide to Addressing Disruptive and Dangerous Behavior on Campus
Author: Brian Van Brunt
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2017-09-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 135180393X

There is an increasing population of students coming to college who challenge and frustrate staff. Students struggle with complex mental health problems, environmental stress, anger difficulties, and the potential for explosively acting out with threats or violence. This practical guide provides college and university staff with direction when working with these students in a variety of college environments, including community colleges, four-year institutions, and online learning environments. Coverage includes how to identify and assess students who are at risk, calm and de-escalate a crisis, motivate and inspire change, and how to manage and maintain change in a positive direction over time. Grounded in theory and research, this book offers practical and tangible advice and guidance to make it easier to assist students in need.

Working and Living in Student Crisis

Working and Living in Student Crisis
Author: Laura Jean Shell
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2021
Genre:
ISBN:

Live-in residence life professionals have unique responsibilities on college campuses because they live amongst the students in order to be available around-the-clock for crisis situations. Crises can include a wide variety of issues, ranging from facility issues to mental health concerns. To assist the increasingly diverse students who attend college, the skill sets of residence life professionals are expanding. Assisting students can require a variety of response, but almost all responses have one thing in common -- they have emotional labor expectations in place. Emotional labor expectations are communicated through onboarding, training, policies, and professional development. Existing research has not studied live-in residence life professionals and how they experience emotional labor. Furthermore, emotional labor research has not examined the lived experience of professional staff who live in their work environment. Using the oral history methodology, a narrative qualitative research study was completed to investigate the emotional labor of live-in residence life professionals. In this study, 9 live-in residence life professionals from 2 campuses shared their experience working and living in campus residence halls. Data from the 27 hour-long interviews and 16 journal entries were analyzed using a combination of inductive and deductive coding. Data analysis led to the development of five themes characterizing the emotional labor experienced by live-in residence life professionals: role ambiguity and unpredictability, no escaping without being away, support or lack thereof, routinized work, and carrying and sustaining the effort. Findings in this narrative qualitative study reveal that the burden of emotional labor expected of residence life professionals is contributing to trauma. Recommendations supported by the findings of this study include the need to clarify the job of live-in residence life professionals to reduce role ambiguity and related stress, establish boundaries between professional and personal spaces (physically and emotionally), and strengthen support for live-in professionals in their work. This study offers insights for university administrators and residence life professionals who seek to improve the emotional labor experience for residence life professionals working and living in the midst of student crises.

Promoting Behavioral Health and Reducing Risk among College Students

Promoting Behavioral Health and Reducing Risk among College Students
Author: M. Dolores Cimini
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2018-06-14
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1351707809

Promoting Behavioral Health and Reducing Risk Among College Students synthesizes the large body of research on college students’ behavioral health and offers guidance on applying evidence-based prevention and early intervention strategies using a comprehensive public health framework. Chapters authored by leading researchers and practitioners address a broad spectrum of important behavioral health issues, interventions, and challenges. Moving beyond a theoretical discussion to strategies for implementation, this book addresses the special issues and potential barriers faced by practitioners as they translate research to practice, such as resource limitations, organizational resistance, challenges to program sustainability, and the unique needs of special populations. This cutting-edge compendium will appeal to both practitioners and researchers involved in providing prevention, early intervention, and treatment services for college students.