Working with the Troubled or Disruptive Student

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Working with the Troubled or Disruptive Student

• UF Crisis Response Team
• The Association of Academic Women
• September 18, 2007

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Faculty and Staff as Resources

• What university personnel are in contact with
  students?
• Teaching and Research Faculty
• Graduate Teaching and Research Personnel
• Instructors
• Support Staff
• Academic Advisors and Office of the Registrar
• Student Affairs Personnel, e.g., Financial Aid,
  Reitz Union, Career Resource Center, Dean of
  Students, Counseling and Housing staffs
• Student Organization Advisors

3
Faculty and Staff as Resources

• Knowledge of students and their particular
  developmental stage
• Awareness of the stressors that students
  encounter
• Institutional ethic of care
• Campus organization and resources
• Opportunity for consultation

4
The Learning Environment Establishing
Expectations

• Define the classroom/learning culture
• Define expectations for the classroom in the
  course syllabus Discuss and clarify them
• Be consistent
• Introduce expectations early and model the
  desired behaviors
• Language
• Punctuality
• Respect

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Classroom Culture (cont.)

• Sample statement
• Attendance and Classroom Culture Attendance
  during class periods is necessary for an optimal
  learning experience. It is expected each person
  will make an effort to come to class prepared to
  participate.
• Interaction with others Respect for diverse
  opinions, responsible communication with others
  and constructive behavior are expected.

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Classroom Culture (cont.)

• Punctuality and participation Being on time to
  class and actively participating in discussion
  enhances the learning environment for everyone.
  Classroom participation will be considered a
  component of graded evaluations.
• Phones and pagers Pagers and cell phones are to
  be quieted during class time. Taking calls and
  text messaging are to be done outside the
  classroom. Students serving on emergency call are
  asked to notify the instructor.

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Self-Care for the Faculty/Staff

• Be aware of your limitations
• Use your knowledge of the campus and community
• Consult with others, e.g., faculty, staff,
  administrators, counselors
• Document interactions
• Be prepared to use your supervisor, general
  counsel, and public safety resources

8

• Recognizing and Responding to Troubled and
  Disruptive Students

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The Troubled Student

• Each person experiences periods of increased
  stress and challenges to ideas and goals. Often
  these times are accompanied by thoughts and
  emotions which produce sadness, anxiety,
  frustration and confusion
• These periods of adjustment, while uncomfortable,
  usually resolve after a time with renewed
  perspectives on life, study and work

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The Troubled Student cont.

• Persistence of sadness, anger and confusion may
  indicate a deepening concern and need for
  consultation
• The goal of intervention is to provide the
  support necessary to help the student reestablish
  equilibrium

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Tips for Recognizing the Troubled Student

• Mildly troubled students
• Behaviors that do not disrupt others but indicate
  that something is troubling the student
• Decrease in achievement and diminished motivation
  to perform
• Increased absences
• Marked changes in interaction patterns with
  instructor and peers, avoidance, anxiety
• Altered mood states, irritability, lethargy, poor
  hygiene
• Often willing to accept and act on offer of help

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Tips cont.

• Moderately troubled student
• Exhibit more significant changes in affect and
  behavior but are reluctant to accept help
• Repeated requests for special consideration or
  adjustment to academic requirements
• More intense expression of emotions, particularly
  those related to requests for relaxation of
  academic responsibilities
• May behave in ways that are mildly disruptive to
  the classroom culture, e.g., angry outbursts,
  walking out, failing to collaborate, attacking
  the opinions of others

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Helping the Mildly or Moderately Trouble Student

• Work with the student on an individual level
• Address any specific behaviors that represent
  infractions of the classroom learning culture
  provide formative feedback
• Refer the student to campus resources (e.g.,
  Counseling Center, Student Mental Health, Dean of
  Students, Student Health Services, Academic
  Advisement
• Follow up and encourage the student to utilize
  resources
• Consult with others and document efforts to
  revise behavior and offer help

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Recognizing the Severely Troubled and Disruptive
Student

• Less likely to accept help and may view efforts
  as intrusive and unwanted
• More intense expression of emotions with little
  regard for classroom decorum or deference to the
  role of instructor
• Poor self-care and lack of empathy for others
• Exaggerated attendance problems, tardiness and
  sense of entitlement
• Verbally antagonistic to peers/instructor

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The Severely Troubled and Disruptive Student cont.

• Unwilling to collaborate with team members and
  assuming responsibility
• Difficulty communicating, slurred speech or
  confused content
• Confused sense of reality, highly suspicious of
  others
• Stalking behaviors, inappropriate forms of
  contact such as veiled or threatening e-mails
• Hyper-vigilant and reactive to others
• Veiled references or overt suicidal or homicidal
  thoughts (May be in oral and written formats)

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Tips for Responding to the Severely Troubled and
Disruptive Student

• Attend to your personal need for safety
• If you feel threatened, maintain adequate
  physical distance
• Have someone meet the student with you
• Meet in an area where resources are available to
  you
• Consider using consultation resources, e.g.,
  Counseling Center or Student Mental Health
• If you think the student may become physically
  agitated, contact campus police at (2-1111) and
  have them present

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Working with the Disruptive Student cont

• If the student is a threat to harm him or her
  self and unwilling to utilize campus resources,
  contact the campus police for assistance (2-1111)
• Maintain a safe distance
• Attempt to maintain a calm demeanor
• Avoid escalating voice level and use of
  provocative language

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Basic Helping Skills

• Accept what the student says and convey an
  attitude of sincerity
• Do not assure the student confidentiality
• Focus on an aspect of the problem that can be
  managed
• What needs to be changed?
• Identify resources
• What has worked in the past that is helpful?
• Avoid giving advice or making promises

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Helping Skills cont

• Encourage the student to use help and offer ways
  to access the resources
• Respect and try to understand the students
  perspectives
• If concerned, ask the student if s/he is
  considering suicide Often the person is looking
  for someone to notice their suffering. If yes,
  get help
• Discuss your experience with your supervisor
  Plan for next steps

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Helping the Suicidal Person

• Listen to the person Allow time
• Ask the question
• Are you thinking about killing yourself
• Are you thinking about not wanting to live
• Promote the idea of getting help
• Refer to campus and community resources
• Counseling Center (2-1575) or Student Mental
  Health (2-1171)
• After Hours Alachua Cty Crisis Center 264-6789
• If an emergency, call UFPD at 392-1111
• Consult with your supervisor and document your
  interactions and efforts to help

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How to Get Help

• A Decision Making Tree and Resource Guide for
  Working with the Troubled and Disruptive Student

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How to Get HelpConsultation/Intervention
Decision Tree
The Troubled Student
The Disruptive Student A student who is
troubled, confused, very sad, highly
A student whose conduct is disruptive or
dangerous, anxious, irritable, lacks in
motivation and or concentration,
verbally or physically threatening, active
threats of suicide demonstrating bizarre behavior
or thinking about suicide. and
resisting help.
Consultation Resources
Consultation/Intervention
Resources Questions about emotional/behavioral
issues and getting help Rule out the
possibility of harm to self or others Call
Counseling Center 392-1575
If physical safety of
student or others is concern Student
Mental Health 392-1171
Student is on campus Call University
Police 392-1111 After Office Hours

Student is off campus Call 911 for
Alachua County Crisis Ctr 264-6789
Alachua County Sheriff or
Gainesville Police Dept Student
Mental Health 392-1171
And/Or

Then Administrative/Judic
ial procedural concerns
Administrative/Judicial procedural
concerns Call Dean of Students Office 392-1261
Call Dean of
Students Office 392-1261 After Office
Hours
After Office
Hours Emergency Dean on Call 392-1111
Emergency Dean
on Call 392-1111
And/Or

And/Or Academic Status
Campus
emergency counseling or health resources Call
Associate Dean for Student Affairs- College
Counseling Center
392-1575 Department Chair or
Program Coordinator
Student Mental Health 392-1171


Student Health Services 392-1161

For a student off
campus at the time

Call Alachua County Crisis Center
264-6789
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Campus and Community Resources

• University Resources
• Dean of Students Office 392-1261
• Counseling Center 392-1575
• Student Mental Health 392-1171
• Student Health Services 392-1161
• University Police Department 392-1111
• Office of Victim Services 392-5648
• International Center 392-5323
• Housing and Residence Education 392-2171
• Division of Student Affairs 392-1265
• Employee Assistance Program 392-5787

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Resources cont.

• Community Resources
• Alachua County Crisis Center 264-6789
• Alachua County Sheriff 911
• Gainesville Police Department 911
• Alachua County Fire/Rescue 911
• Gainesville Fire/Rescue 911
• Information and Referral Services
  332-4636