WICHE Mental Health Report

May 07, 2007
Volume 1, Number 4

RECENT ISSUES: Feb 2007 . March 2007 . April 2007

In this Issue:

• Rural Mental Health Response to VA Tech Tragedy
• FYI

Rural Mental Health Response to VA Tech Tragedy

In light of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, our regularly scheduled article on workforce has been moved to the June issue.

 

"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community."

- President Bush, April 17, 2007

 

What are the issues schools face with mental illness?
In the wake of violent school attacks, American colleges and universities are under pressure to deal with an array of mental health issues that range from legal confidentiality tightropes to budgets for training and awareness programs for students and staff. In reading some of the major articles written in the wake of the VA Tech tragedy and other similar attacks, it seems there are two major ongoing themes related to the mental health field that affect the establishment of school policies on discovering warning signs, preventing attacks, and responding to them when they occur:

2. Extensive Training versus Limited Resources

The first issue has a history dating back to the establishment of colleges and universities in the United States. Historically, the college informed the parents of all aspects of their children's lives and the parents expected colleges to act in loco parentis - in the parents' stead. However, due to a number of social and legal factors over the last 50 years, this expectation has changed. Students demanded the right of privacy from their parents. Federal law now prohibits the release of medical records to anyone, including the parents, without a student's consent. Nevertheless, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) was passed which states that schools receiving federal funding can release records to providers of financial aid and appropriate officials when there is a health or safety emergency. There is no clear-cut definition of health or safety emergency, and the judgment call varies among universities. Colleges can also inform parents whenever a drug or alcohol law is broken, regardless of student preference.

From a college counseling center's perspective, this changes the dynamics of when to inform the family of a student's mental health or substance abuse issues. On one hand, families are demanding colleges inform them of their children's potentially harmful behavior as allowed by FERPA; on the other hand, a policy of limited confidentiality could discourage students from seeking needed services. Schools need to have a clearly defined and consistent policy informing parents and students of their privacy rights and information access. Schools also need to have clearly defined action plans for responding to known mental health issues, if not, they remain legally responsible when things go wrong. There is no federal oversight of higher educational institutions, leaving each state and individual school to work out the policies necessary to deal with when to inform parents and law enforcement.

The second major issue of training versus budgets affects the students directly. The school officials cannot make a judgment call if there is no information to weigh. In other words, if people are not trained to recognize when a student needs help, they cannot take action. Training can occur on several levels, from intensive training of a designated threat response team, to shorter training of resident advisors and faculty on the warning signs to watch for. Guides on how to recognize and respond to distressed students come from many sources, including Secret Services, the FBI, and the Department of Education. These extensive reports involve detailed structures on how to evaluate reported information using a threat scale and how to respond relative to the perceived level of threat.

Many schools, especially those in rural areas, may not have the budgets to train their entire staff and faculty on these evidence-supported interventions, thus creating potential gaps in the information flow. When schools do not have the resources necessary to carry out the standard practices recommended by authorities, creative solutions can come into play. There are many potential sources of creative solutions from consultation with federal agencies, local community volunteers, and student stakeholder groups. Regardless of the funding ability of the budget, schools need to find ways to prepare those on campus to recognize and deal with mental health issues.

What are the implications for rural colleges?
A school, no matter its location or its enrollment size, has a duty to protect, as best it can, the students it serves. Some rural fallacies can hinder the process necessary to optimal student safety. One of the most dangerous perceptions is that rural schools are somehow insulated from the violence and various mental illnesses reported in their larger urban counterparts. Research definitively shows that rural areas report similar, and in some cases, larger proportions of citizens with mental health issues. While this does not imply a cause for alarm, it does suggest that it pays to be prepared, no matter how small the threat. Another erroneous belief is that rural residents and students share greater homogeneity, the idea that everyone is more similar than different. This can lead to the idea that one solution fits all, especially when training school counselors to help diverse students deal with the various stressors of college life.

Another potential downside of rural schools is that there is less confidentiality and greater potential stigma to seeking services. Both of these are known hindrances to help-seeking behavior and each school needs to address these issues on an individual basis. It is important to clarify up-front the confidentiality policy of the school when a student enrolls. In addition, extensive public education on the symptoms of mental illness can help to 'normalize' and encourage seeking help.

Rural schools have a number of positive attributes that potentially defend against violence and help them deal more effectively when they do happen. One of the strengths of a rural school is its smaller size and closer connections. With smaller enrollments and higher percentages of local students, it is easier to locate the students that are struggling or in distress and offer help. In addition, there is a sense of involvement with rural citizens that can act as a buffer, a responsibility to take care of their own. By utilizing staff, faculty, students, families and communities, rural schools can solidify a team that can work together to identify and treat problems early and swiftly respond to any threats. In the extremely rare event of an attack (you are more likely to be struck by lightening than killed on school grounds), these established networks can act as a strong support network to aid those affected by the tragedy.

There are no easy solutions to the issues raised in this article. It appears that no one has the definitive answer to preventing such tragedies. However, in taking a hard look at the issues and developing a grounded prevention and response strategy utilizing their community resources, rural schools can help those who may be threats, and potentially improve the quality of life for all students on campus.

FURTHER READING:
Youth Violence: Myths vs. Facts from the Office of the Surgeon General
Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General (2001)

In 2002, the Secret Service teamed up with the Department of Education to produce a thorough report examining prior school attacks and providing a knowledge-based guide to the prevention of future school attacks:
The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative

The White House website maintains a list of resources for parents, schools, law enforcement, and communities to obtain outreach, training, research, and professional development services to establish and sustain safer schools. It also provides resources for coping and response.
School Safety Resources

 

FYI

Bringing Excellence to Rural America

Join us June 3-7, 2007, at the University of Wisconsin-Stout for the Twenty-third Annual National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. This unique rural alcohol and drug abuse conference provides participants the opportunity to personally interact with other rural alcohol and drug abuse professionals, federal agency representatives, and nationally known institute faculty and resource persons.

Key resource persons from throughout the United States will present 12-hour in-depth tracks, 4 1/2 hour mini-workshops, and 1 1/2 hour special topic sessions on current, innovative, and emerging topics.

Click on the following link for more information:

http://www.uwstout.edu/outreach/conf/nri/index.htm

Rural Mental Health Research

By clicking on the link below and taking a short survey (~10 minutes), you can be a part of a study that will be presented at the 2007 NARMH Annual Conference in Kansas City, Missouri (August 9-11).

The results will be used in research exploring the decision to practice in a rural area and the rewards mental health professionals experience in this setting. Your responses will provide important information for the recruitment of rural mental health professionals and the provision of services for this underserved population. You will have the option of providing your email address in the survey if you would like to receive a copy of the final results and be entered in a raffle to win one of two $75 Visa Gift Cards. This information will be kept confidential and separate from the survey responses. You can contact Megan Oetinger at Megan.A.Oetinger@wheaton.edu with any questions.


Please click the link below to take the survey.

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2267RAFDMBS

Call for Site Nominations Research & Training Center for Children's Mental Health, University of South Florida

Case Studies of System Implementation is 5-year case study to identify strategies that local communities undertake in implementing community-based systems of care. The study will provide greater understanding of how factors affecting system implementation contribute to the development of local service systems for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families.

• • • URBAN COMMUNITIES ARE OUR CURRENT FOCUS • • •

Site Selection Criteria (now accepting nominations; please respond by July 1)

• Identified needs for local population of children with serious emotional disturbance
• Goals for identified population of children with serious emotional disturbance that are consistent with system-of-care values and principles
• Actively implementing strategies to achieve expressed goals for identified population
• Outcome information that demonstrates progress toward these goals
• Ability to reflect on key transitions in development of system over time
• Sustainability over time
• Urban community

Nominated sites do not have to be SOC grant communities. To nominate a community for participation, please contact:

Sharon Hodges, Ph.D. or Kathleen Ferreira, M.S.E.
Research & Training Center for Children's Mental Health
Department of Child & Family Studies
Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute
University of South Florida
13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33612
813-974-4651
hodges@fmhi.usf.edu or kferreira@fmhi.usf.edu

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WICHE MH Personnel

Dennis Mohatt, MA Mental Health Program Director
Scott Adams, Psy.D. Associate Program Director
Chuck McGee, MA Project Director
Mimi McFaul, Psy.D. Research Associate
Candice Tate, Ph.D. Research Associate
Fran Dong, Statistical Analyst
Jenny Shaw, Administrative & Project Coordinator

Tell Us How the WICHE Mental Health Program Has Impacted You

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education is seeking your comments on how our services have affected mental health services in rural communities. Please send an e-mail telling how WICHE has influenced you to ctate@wiche.edu. We would also love to hear your nominations for promising rural practices. Feel free to also contact us with requests for state-specific rural assistance or to just ask us a question about our experience with rural mental issues and public policy.

Subscriber Services

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the WICHE Newsletter send an e-mail to ctate@wiche.edu