University Counseling Center (UCC)
What You Should Know About Responding to Student Emergencies
Emergency situations are rare; however, immediate and decisive action is necessary when they do occur. Generally, a psychological emergency involves one or more of the following conditions:
- A suicidal attempt, gesture, threat, or stated intention
- A homicidal attempt, gesture, threat, or stated intention, property destruction, criminal acts
- Behavior posing a threat to self
- Behavior posing a threat to others (outburst, aggression, hostility)
- Loss of contact with reality (hallucination, hearing/seeing things
- Inability to care for oneself
In the event of one of these emergency situations, it is helpful to follow the guidelines below:
- Stay calm, as this will help you respond more effectively, and also help to reduce the student's anxiety or agitation
- If possible, provide a quiet, private place for the student to rest while further steps are taken
- Talk to the student in a clear, straight-forward manner
- If the student appears to be dangerous to self or others, do not leave the student unattended
- Make arrangements for appropriate intervention or aid
The primary campus resources for responding to mental health emergencies are the UCC and/or Security. The following options are available to you:
- Phone consultation with a UCC staff member is available - 275-3113
- You can walk the student over to the Counseling Center, Third Floor UHS Building, 738 Library Road, for an emergency consultation/appointment with a counselor during the hours that we are here
- If the student is unusually aggressive or otherwise unmanageable call Security immediately: x13 or 275-3333
Be prepared to provide security or UCC with as much information as possible about the student and the situation.