Editor’s Note: This is part eight in our mental health series “Talk about it.” Sensitive content may follow. 

A crisis can be different for everyone, but overall it is a response to an event where an individual needs immediate support said Student Counseling Services (SCS) director Christopher Hanes.

“So it’s really something that’s so upsetting to the person that they don’t feel they can keep themselves or other people safe or they just don’t feel emotionally safe,” said Sue Reimers, clinical care coordinator for SCS.

Several offices within Iowa State and Ames play a role in helping students through these experiences. 

Student Assistance  

The Office of Student Assistance is under the Dean of Students and exists to provide support and information about university resources. If a student faces unexpected challenges, Student Assistance is the liaison between students and faculty.

“There are a million and one resources on the college campus and it can sometimes be really, really difficult to know where to start and so our office really wants people to know that they can start here,” said Megan Van Heiden, senior assistant director for the Office of Student Assistance.

Student Assistance will have direct contact with the student in a crisis situation, meaning they will have the most check-ups, follow-ups and help them figure things out. They will be the ones who connect and communicate with the necessary people about the crisis event. 

“We send what’s called ‘the notification’ from our office and that’s sent [to] all of the student’s instructors,” Van Heiden said. “We try to work with students to determine what language they feel comfortable with us sharing […] and really leave that up to the student to determine how much or how little.” 

Throughout the time that the student is gone, Student Assistance will maintain communication between the student and their professors. When meeting with the student, using language which validates the students experience has helped in situations, Van Heiden said.

“So by validating, to me what I mean when I say that, is if a student shares with me ‘I’m having a really hard time and here are the reasons why’ and saying ‘You’re right, that does sound incredibly challenging,’” Van Heiden said.

If a student needs to take time off from school, they could apply for a medical withdrawal which includes mental and physical health. The student speaks with their academic adviser about the options in regards to a medical withdrawal form. Student Assistance can help with this and they also help students come back to school after taking that time off. 

Iowa State Police Department and welfare checks 

If a student, family or faculty is concerned about an individual, they can contact the Iowa State Police Department (ISUPD) to do a welfare check. The officer on-call will go the student’s dorm or a place where they are most likely to be and check-in, ask a few questions and determine the risk. 

“It just depends on the situation and the student,” said Kinsey Phillips, mental health advocate for ISUPD. “Sometimes we might start with a student who needs resources on campus but doesn’t need them immediately.” 

In 2018, there were 287 welfare checks, according to the Iowa State Annual Police Report. 

Students can call ISUPD or the Central Iowa Crisis line to talk to a Mobile Crisis Team, a group of professionals who can provide onsite, face-to-face mental health services. 

If the student is calling 911 for a mental health emergency, they should let the dispatcher know a crisis intervention team officer is needed as well as request if it is possible to arrive without lights and sirens to help calm the student down. 

If the student is actively suicidal when officers arrive for the welfare check, they are taken immediately to the hospital or crisis counseling, said Phillips, otherwise the officers will provide resources and there will be a follow-up from Student Assistance. 

Phillips said she does not go on every welfare check, but follows up with the students and makes sure they get an outreach as well as informing the crisis team at ISUPD. 

“That person would get an outreach […] it’s always going to be from Student Assistance,” Phillips said. “I also will outreach to students and say ‘Do you want to come in and talk about resources or do you just want to come in and see Zosia?’”

Zosia is a certified therapy dog and helps comfort the student, said Phillips. 

When checking in on the individuals, the police try to be out of uniform and in everyday clothes to make the individual feel more comfortable, said Phillips. Depending on the situation, students can be taken to the SCS for crisis counseling.  

Student Counseling Center 

There is an on-call crisis team, which a therapist will meet with the student immediately and assess the situation. The therapist will analyze the risk, create a self-care plan and analyze any contributing factors to the situation.

“We’re going to work on coming up with a plan for them to feel better or safer […] this isn’t really a counseling appointment and it’s not getting them set up in services in counseling but rather we’re just here working on the immediate need,” Reimers said. 

While the therapists supports the student, they will also consult with other therapists.

“We’re a team here, so oftentimes with students in crisis there’s consultation time as a team,” Hanes said. “[Reimers] would step out and talk about the case with another licensed person, another staff member, to review the case so there’s the ability for multiple people to give perspective and ideas.” 

The therapist will stabilize the student by helping individual feel safe and out of the crisis. Lastly, a self-care plan will be created until the student can come to the walk-in service and schedule follow-up appointments.

Hanes said the “absolute important part” of the counseling process is speaking with the student about their concerns, what brought them in and the cause. 

Crisis counseling tends to spike in the beginning, middle and end of the year, said Hanes and Reimers, but hospitalization is uncommon.