The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 2 - 14

Deborah J. Taub • Heather L. Servaty-Seib

On many campuses the actual decision about referral may be made by a professional staff member or a graduate-level staff member who is alerted by the RA about the distressed student; on other campuses greater responsibility for making the referral may fall to the RA. It is most important that RAs be trained not to ignore the signs that a student is in need of help .

ASSESSING THOSE IN NEED OF REFERRAL
As the eyes and ears of a residential life program, RAs need to communicate concerns or changes in residents’ behavior to their supervisors so that trained professionals can intervene and appropriately refer students for assistance. On many campuses the actual decision about referral may be made by a professional staff member or a graduate-level staff member who is alerted by the RA about the distressed student; on other campuses greater responsibility for making the referral may fall to the RA. It is most important that RAs be trained not to ignore the signs that a student is in need of help. Students in need of immediate referral include those who are talking of suicide or exhibiting other serious warning signs of suicide (e.g., seeking lethal means). Grosz (1990) discusses the process of assessing for imminent danger and also offers lists of verbal, behavioral, situational, and depressive warnings that indicate the need for referral. It is the extent to which students’ problems are interfering with their ability to function that ultimately determines the urgency of the need for professional assistance.

to learn helping skills (Winston & Buckner, 1984). Training also improves RAs’ knowledge and job performance (Murray et al., 1999). There is little consensus, however, about RA training needs (Twale & Muse, 1996; Upcraft & Pilato, 1982), and the content and modes of RA training vary greatly from campus to campus (Bowman & Bowman, 1995). Despite the variations in training, there are core similarities. It is believed that RA training should include conflict resolution, crisis intervention, interpersonal skills, disciplinary matters, cultural diversity, consultation, and counseling skills (Bowman & Bowman; Johnson & Kang, 2006; Ness, 1985; Shipton & Schuh, 1982; Twale & Burrell, 1994; Twale & Muse; Upcraft, 1982; Winston & Fitch, 1993). Overall, 83.3% of responding institutions (Bowman & Bowman, 1995) reported that helping and counseling skills were included in their RA training.

EFFECTIVE REFERRALS
Although identifying those in need of a referral is crucial, actually making a referral may be more challenging for RAs than determining who is or is not experiencing difficulties indicative of the need for referral (Boswinkel, 1986). On campuses where greater responsibility falls to RAs for referrals, they must understand how best to do so. On campuses where this responsibility falls to graduate-level staff or professional staff, the need to be able to make effective re-

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 2

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