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		Managing Mental Health Emergencies By Jan Schumacher, Director of Residential Services, Muhlenberg College Introduction This past October I had the privilege of being part of a panel discussion on “Effective Management of Mental Health Emergencies on Campus: A Student Development Perspective” at the annual Pennsylvania Associate of College Personnel Administrators (PCPA) held at Carlisle, PA. The other members of the panel were Joseph Merkle, Dean of Students at York College, Joseph Puzycki, Director of Judicial Affairs at Penn State University and Dennis Wilson, Director of Counseling and Health Services at Saint Francis University. The idea for the session came from an informal discussion at dinner during the executive board’s summer retreat. As our conversation progressed we realized that mental health issues were consuming a great deal of time and effort for a multitude of staff members on each of our campuses. The goal of the session, and what made it a successful discussion, was the ability to look at crisis from the viewpoint of each office involved. While the overall mission of an institution regarding crisis is often the same, the manner in which each office must respond can be different. The Counseling Center has an obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the student while getting assistance for the student. The Dean of Students office has to keep the overall picture in mind and ensure each member of the staff is doing his or her job in relationship to the emergency. The Judicial Affairs office must ensure that the code of conduct is being upheld, that the response is focused on the student’s behavior; not the student his/herself, and that all students involved receive due process. The Residential Services office must keep in mind any member of the residential community that has been impacted, especially if the student crisis occurs in the halls. The Campus Safety department must ensure the safety of all members of the community and is usually the communication center for the other offices and staff members involved. As we prepared for the session we had an opportunity to share and discuss situations involving students from our campuses. We collaborated on situations that each of us had experienced and then prepared case studies to begin the flow of discussion with conference participants. During this process, we challenged each other on how we would handle these situations given the responsibilities and constraints of our offices. Who Does What: Understanding departmental roles Whether the emergency occurs in the residence halls or elsewhere on campus, the potential for impact includes: the student, his/her roommates, the floor mates, the friends, the RAs and perhaps the greater campus community, depending on the nature and severity of the incident. There are many offices that pull together in responding to each incident such as the Dean of Students, Counseling Center, Health Center, Judicial Office, Residential Services and Campus Safety. The immediate response is to assist the student as well as any other member of the campus community affected. Then in the hours, days and weeks that follow, each office deals with the documentation of the situation and provides follow up meetings and services with the residence hall community and friends of the person(s) involved. Residential Services Residential Services is in many instances the front line staff responding to the situation. Staff intervene, confront, document, support, and communicate regarding the incident. One difficulty the Residential Services office has had to deal with is the confusion and frustration of the resident(s). This is protracted if the student’s crisis involved another student. An example is a student who is physically assaulted by another student. The victim may blame the administration for not stopping the behavior before it happens. The student who acts out, as well as the students who witness this behavior or are victims of the behavior, may experience a sense of fear due to a of loss of control during the event. The victim often wants to know why the person acted out and what is ‘wrong’ with the person and he/she wants assurances that this will never happen again. Usually, the victim feels that the perpetrator should not be allowed to re-enter their community. Problems arise because many of the questions and concerns cannot be answered due to the confidential nature of the situation. Sometimes just having a forum to share their feelings is enough for some victims, but often there is a need to take action to do something to make it better. Oftentimes students are not clear on what that action should be, except perhaps not allowing the perpetrator to come back to the building or to the campus. When this does not happen, it can cause some students to become angry with the members of the administration because they feel the perpetrator will eventually move on with the normal rhythm of his/her life. Dean of Student Office Often the Dean of Students office begins the process of working with any issues involved with a student experiencing a mental health emergency. This office may have the first contact with the student’s family and ensures that each office involved is communicating appropriately with each other. At Muhlenberg College, the Dean provides any formal letters to the student regarding his/her status during the emergency. The student may be placed on a temporary or semester long leave either voluntarily or involuntarily. Depending on the nature of the emergency, there may be a component of a continued counseling relationship. This is done in conjunction with the Counseling Center. Counseling Center The Counseling Center has the dual role of working with the student with the mental health crisis as well as the other members of the campus community. Depending on the nature of the student’s mental health emergency, the Counseling Center may need to assist the student in getting help with outside practitioners or treatment facilities and maintain a working relationship with these groups. The staff from the Counseling Center will be faced with trying to assist other offices on campus while maintaining the student’s confidentiality, especially if he/she hasn’t signed a waiver giving them the authority to discuss the student’s mental health needs. Campus Safety The Campus Safety Department may be the first response depending on when and where the event occurs. If they are the first respondent then they are often in charge of relaying information and contacting of other offices to come and assist. They maintain the safety of the individual in crisis as well as any other members of the community in the area. In addition, they may assist with monitoring the student until he/she is evaluated or taken home by the family. Because they are often involved from the beginning, they will also produce a detailed report of the incident for the other offices including the Judicial Affairs office. Judicial Affairs Judicial Affairs is normally involved after a situation has occurred on campus. Regardless of the nature of what happened, the Judicial Officer must review the documentation focusing on the behavior of the student. If this behavior is found to violate College policy, the matter must be dealt with in the same fashion as any other violations. It is important to remember this student will need the same consistent compassion and due process that any student receives on campus. The Importance of Being Prepared: Are you ready to handle a mental health emergency on your campus? While we may say a silent prayer each year that we don’t have to deal with a serious mental health crisis, it is important to be prepared. One of the benefits I received from planning and participating on this panel was the opportunity to dialogue the “what ifs” and “how to’s” with colleagues. Often during increasingly hectic semesters, the ability to take the time to discuss and review how to handle crisis of any nature can become challenging. I encourage you to make that time. I suggest some of the following questions to consider for your own campus: Do you have policies regarding students who experience a mental health emergency? Do they cover the possibility for voluntary or involuntary leave? Does your campus have an overall plan for dealing with emergencies? Does it cover what offices need to be involved? Are you clear as a staff team on how each office must deal with the emergency and its impact on your operations? Have you worked with the institution’s lawyers on any potential legal issues? The complexity of mental health emergencies provides us with the chance to review how we balance the needs of the student with the needs of the campus community. It can test how well the campus can work together. Participating in this panel has also reminded me of the need to collaborate with members of our profession at other campuses. The sharing of experiences and techniques that have worked are a valuable method of professional development. About the Author Jan Schumacher is the Director of Residential Services at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. She has worked at Muhlenberg for 5 years and is in her third year as director. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology and master’s degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Kutztown University. She was a member of the host committee for MACUHO 2002 and currently serves as the recorder for PCPA.