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| COUNSELING & DISABILITY SERVICES |
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What Faculty and Staff Can Do
- Refer the student to Counseling and Disability Services (C&DS). Offer to call C&DS while the student is there with you. We make every effort to see distressed students as soon as possible. If we are occupied and don’t answer our phones, leave a voicemail message. If it is an immediate crisis, the Student Affairs office or Security can contact us by cell phone.
- Offer to walk the student over to C&DS. Having an instructor or staff member facilitate an initial connection with a counselor can make the process more comfortable for a student. Students might feel trepidation when coming to a counseling office for the first time.
- Inform students about both areas of the C&DS department. An individual may qualify for intervention for a disability. This in itself may be enough to mitigate some obstacles for the student.
- Let others know. Depending on your level of concern and the nature of the problem, you may elect to alert your department chair and the student’s academic advisor. Contact the Dean of Students and the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, especially when disruptive behaviors or personal safety are involved. The Dean of Students and the VPSA/EM can be contacted by cell phone through the Department of Student Affairs or Security if you feel the matter is urgent and they are not readily available in their offices.
- Consult Counseling and Disability Services. The department can be reached at 713-525-3162 or 713-525-6953 and is available for consultation and assistance. Sometimes a quick consultation with you may help counselors determine what approach to take to address a situation. Confidentiality is a guiding principle for C&DS, though; professional ethical and legal guidelines limit counselors’ ability to share information. It is possible that C&DS may have had previous contact with a student about whom you are concerned; however, the department might not be able to relate that to you. C&DS is only able to share information the student has given written permission to disclose, but will inform you of a referred student’s contact if he/she has given consent. After referring a student you may want to check back with that individual to see if they have followed through with your suggestion.
- Alert Campus Security at 713-525-3888 if needed. Provide information about the nature of the situation and as much identifying information as possible.
- Call 911 for emergency situations when there is imminent danger of physical harm to self or others, and medical emergencies.
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