Address Students Issues
Collaboratively
BY KATE MUELLER
At Orange Coast College (OCC), the Student Health
Center encompasses both medical and psychological
services. Given the prevalence of mental health issues
on campuses nationwide, it is not surprising that counseling is
the service in greatest demand at the center.
In many cases, students seek counseling on their own. In
other cases, faculty and staff refer students to the center and
even walk them to the office when appropriate. Faculty and
staff remain informed about the health center and its counseling services through a variety of approaches, including new
faculty orientations, the faculty handbook, academic division
meetings, and classroom presentations.
Unfortunately, there are many situations in which counseling must be mandated. How effectively those situations are
handled often is related to the strength of the working relationship between the dean of students and the director of the
counseling center.
Understand Respective Roles
Both the dean of students and the director of the counseling
center must appreciate their respective roles and responsibilities. Both administrators must understand the federal and
state privacy laws that guide actions and decisions related to
students with mental health problems. It is most helpful if the
dean of students provides an overview for health center staff
on how student conduct cases are handled from a student
affairs perspective. The health center director should, in turn,
detail the processes and methods to facilitate sharing information about a student-patient.
At OCC, the Student Health Center staff designed a
release form that can be utilized for a variety of situations.
For instance, the release can be used when a student gives
permission to the health center to communicate and share
information about his or her counseling, whether for verifying
appointments, obtaining progress updates about the student’s
counseling, or confirming with a counselor that the student is
fit to enroll at the college. The dean of students has adapted
the health center’s release form so that when counseling is
mandated and information is needed about the student’s progress, permission is obtained up front to discuss the case with
other parties, including the health center staff. There are also
instances when permission is obtained to discuss
the student with outside medical professionals,
parents, guardians, or attorneys.
In the Winter 2008 issue of Leadership
Exchange, OCC detailed its threat assess-
ment model. This model evolved from the
relationship between the dean of students and the director
of the health center. The dean and director had already been
consulting with one another regarding numerous cases and the
following questions raised by the dean of students provided a
starting point: What is the waiting period for an appointment
with a counselor? If the counseling need is deemed urgent,
can the student gain access to a counselor immediately? What,
specifically, would the health center like to see in a release
form to help ensure that the dean can be informed once the
student meets with a counselor?
Meet Together with Students
As situations develop with students in which mental health
issues are apparent or suspected, the dean of students often
invites the director of the health center to sit in on meetings with the student. Meetings are arranged once the dean
of students receives a report of a student’s inappropriate or
disconcerting behavior and mental health issues are suspected.
Together the dean of students and health center director
begin conducting student assessments to ascertain student
issues and needs. The meeting is initially approached as a
conversation rather than a confrontation to avoid escalating a potentially dangerous situation. The dean and director
explain why they are meeting with the student and engage
the student in answering a number of questions: Do you have
family living nearby? Roommates? Friends on or off campus?
What do you like to do outside of class? How are your classes
going? How are you feeling? The discussion builds rapport
and offers insight into the student’s attitude and state of mind.
The student is asked to recreate the particular statement and/
or behavior that prompted the initial concern and may have
alarmed individuals on campus.
The meeting location varies, depending upon the specific
situation. Student records are accessed, and a class schedule
is printed beforehand. If a student is in class, the dean and
director may go to that class and ask the student to step out
and talk. When possible, the instructor and academic dean
are notified of the visit beforehand. If time does not allow for
notification, the dean and director speak to the professor first,
then ask to see the student outside the class. If the student is
not scheduled to be in class until the next day, the dean or
director calls the student and requests a meeting as soon as
possible. The student must meet with the dean and director
before returning to any classes, and he or she may obtain an
excused absence. The campus safety office is always alerted
and on call when an assessment occurs and can quickly intervene if the student becomes an immediate danger. If the
student cannot be reached in a class or by phone, a certified
letter is mailed to the student requiring a meeting with the
dean. The student typically is directed not to attend any
classes or be on campus for any reason other than the meeting
until the situation can be resolved.
Over time, more student conduct cases have involved overt
threats or possible harm to students. The safety of the campus
then becomes a major factor in addition to the needs of the
