Talking Stick - September/October 2017 - 54

CONVERSATIONS
Lastly, I would want to know
where Sam's support system lies
outside of his roommate. It sounds
like they've attended school together
for a while, so perhaps it's helpful
for Sam to be exposed to different
worldviews and perspectives as
they relate to the academic setting.
Diversifying the support/friend
group may result in taking some of
the pressure off and losing some of
the thoughts related to his constant
comparison of himself to highachieving peers.

residence director, Angie, has recently
been dealing with an enormous
amount of stress - coursework,
relationships, financial concerns,
and other pressures at work. She has
been participating in a counseling
relationship and has been recently
diagnosed with depression. The RD
has not shared this diagnosis with the
department. While on-call one night,
a student in her building attempts
suicide, which negatively impacts
the RD to a point where she is now
considering suicide.

Fitzjarrald: My immediate concern
is Sam. I need to know if he is
seriously considering suicide and then
determine the level of threat to self,
which would be done via very specific
questions: Are you going to kill
yourself? Do you have a plan? Do you
have the means necessary to carry out
the plan? I would then connect Sam
with counseling services and follow
the department's protocol for suicide
ideation.

Barefoot: This is a tough situation
because this field rarely provides
information about how to respond
when a co-worker is struggling. There
is a lot of information that would be
helpful for this situation, but first and
foremost it is important to verify that
the RD is safe. Next, I would need
to know if she had a plan and/or the
means to attempt suicide. Afterwards,
I would want to know how she
would like me to help, and my next
steps would be dependent on my
colleague's desires and needs. And
there is additional information that
would be helpful but not required:
Is she taking any medicine due to
her recent diagnosis of depression?
Does her counselor have a way
to be contacted in the event of an
emergency? Is there any outstanding
information that she needs to
provide about the earlier incident of a
student's suicide attempt?

I would then follow up with Sam's
roommate and have a discussion
regarding why the comments were
made. It could be that his roommate
is dealing with academic pressure and
felt it necessary to focus on Sam in
order to avoid dealing with his own
issues.
Once Sam returns to the
community and/or has talked with
someone, I would ensure that I follow
up. I would keep communication
open and ask how I can continue to
support him and help him develop
coping skills for the academic stress.
Additionally, I would assure Sam that
I've talked to his roommate and see
how Sam feels about continuing to be
in the same community.
Boettcher: What about when the
mental health concern is not that
of a student, but of a colleague?
In this case study, a third-year

54

TALKING STICK

If not her department, are there
friends she can turn to? Family? Is
there a hotline she can call when
she is feeling in imminent danger
of harming herself? Additionally, I
would want to know which resources
are available to professional staff on
campus. Is there someone this RD
can call now that she is having her
own experience with suicidal ideation?
Is she able to take a personal mental
health day to visit with her counselor
and take some time to reflect and
process? Lastly, I would want to
know if there is another RD on-call
who can assist in handling the duty
situation. It is important that the RD
responding takes care of herself after
working with the student, so who can
she call for back up?

navigating counseling, does the RD
have support from folks at and/
or outside of the college? Are there
things that can be taken off her plate
to help alleviate her stress? Is this
RD in graduate school (masters or
doctoral program)?

Boettcher: So we've examined
individual issues facing student staff
and residents. What about those
days when everything happens at
once? Consider the following: On
a given day you have had several
RAs come into your office to tell you
about things happening in their lives.
One's grandmother has passed away,
one is struggling with depression,
one is homesick, one is considering
transferring, and another has been
diagnosed with a chronic medical
condition. You have done your
best to be present in each of these
conversations and provide guidance,
support, and referrals as needed. When
you get home at the end of the day,
you're sad - not because of anything
happening in your life, but because
you're overcome by the sadness of
others. You can't just shake it off, but
you know you have to be ready to serve
these students again tomorrow. How
might you care for yourself in this
moment, not only so you can do your
job, but also so these situations don't
impact you in the future?

Tirrell: I would want to know who

Fitzjarrald: From each student, I

makes up the RD's support system.

need to know specifics: How are they

Glass: In addition to the RD
Talking Stick - September/October 2017

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