The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 2 - 52

Angela I. Canto * Martin Swanbrow Becker * Bradley E. Cox * Seth Hayden * Debra Osborn

residents in crisis. Campus counseling centers
consist of trained helping professionals who
are knowledgeable of appropriate interventions that assist a student in crisis (Ellingson,
Kochenour, & Weitzman, 1999). In addition
to the campus counseling center, campus resources for mental health services may include
the campus medical clinic, the career counseling center (if a separate entity), Dean of Students personnel, campus police, and alcohol
and drug educators.
There are also times when community
resources are accessed instead of campus resources, due to the complexity of the issue
or limited availability of campus resources
(Lacour & Carter, 2002). Community and
national crisis hotlines such as the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) are
generally free, confidential and accessible at
all times. Local hospital emergency rooms are
also a resource when residents pose imminent
harm to themselves. Additionally, residents
can receive services by accessing local police
and primary care physicians. Making information about counseling services readily available
to RAs can enhance the capability for them to
refer residents to appropriate resources (Taub
& Servaty-Seib, 2010).
Building Relationships (http://reslife.net/
building-relationships-two-departmentsone-goal/) is another example of a collaborative program between residence life and the
campus counseling center at Gwynedd-Mercy
College in Pennsylvania. Within this program,
the two departments collaborated and developed response protocols for several trauma
scenarios. This training program aimed at residence life professional staff, RAs, and counseling staff was judged by their agencies as a
52

positive proactive response to educating staff
and working with students in crisis.
RAs should view referrals for mental health
services as a joint endeavor whereby residents
are active participants in the decision to seek
counseling. Thus, residents have the opportunity to express concerns, fears, and reservations
about engagement in counseling (Sharkin,
2006). Evidence in other settings suggest
that preparing individuals for what to expect
from counseling and setting the stage for following up with a mental health referral often
increases the likelihood of their engagement
(e.g., McKay, McCadam, Gonzales, 1996).
RAs can improve the effectiveness of their
referral of residents to mental health services
by becoming more familiar with on- and offcampus resources and engaging students in a
non-threatening, non-authoritative way. Some
suggestions include hosting an event during
training where representatives from campus
support groups can make brief presentations,
as well as creating a quick reference guide that
includes a synopsis of these sites, information
regarding common resident concerns they
serve, contact information, hours of operation,
and preferred referral steps. Lastly, RAs should
visit these support centers to develop individual relationships with key personnel and be able
to more fully describe the facility and available
services to residents.

PREVENTION
In addition to identification and intervention,
fostering a stigma-free help-seeking climate
among residents can be a powerful preventive measure to increase the use of support
for students in distress. At an ecological level,
campuses can work to promote a culture of

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 2

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