Navigating a Crisis

If you have identified that you are in a mental health crisis, you have a few options for getting support. 

Tools for Regulation

These are some things that you can try using to help attend to your emotional wellbeing during intense times.

• Coherent breaths: using tools like box breathing and counting breaths (4 seconds in, 6 seconds out) can be helpful for regulating your nervous system and helping you navigate a panic attack
• Naming categories: try to pick a category (e.g. flowers, birds, countries, Smith houses) and try to name one for each letter of the alphabet. This kind of distraction can help your brain move away from emotional overwhelm.
• Five senses: identify 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
• Reach out: call a friend or trusted family member. You are not alone in these difficult moments!
  • If this doesn’t feel like an option, please consider reaching out to a hotline. 

Urgent Counseling Appointments

• If you are having a crisis during Schacht’s open hours, please consider giving us a call and asking for an urgent appointment. Our number is 413-585-2800.
• In that appointment, you will work directly with a therapist who will ask you about your situation, work with you to think about coping skills and resources, and work with you to create a plan for moving forward. 

Support Lines

• If you are having a crisis outline of Schacht’s hours, you can also consider calling a support line.
• One option is calling Schacht (413-585-2800); even if we are closed, you can connect to TELUS health, which is staffed with counselors 24/7.
• There are also several other crisis hotlines listed above. Some hotlines are specialized to work with people of certain identities (e.g., LGBTQAI+, BIPOC, etc.) or going through certain experiences (e.g., survivors of Interpersonal Violence). 

Campus Safety

If you have tried several options or are in need of immediate/urgent support, please call Campus Safety at 413-585-5555.

• Calling Campus Safety is the first step if you are worried about your immediate safety or someone else’s safety.
• When you call Campus Safety, they can help you connect with an on-call therapist who works at the Schacht Center.
• Once you are in touch with the on-call therapist, they will ask you more about your situation, try to help you identify and utilize regulation tools, and work with you to develop a plan to keep you safe.

Students often want to know how to help a friend who is in a bad relationship, has disordered eating, feels depressed, anxious, or is otherwise seriously overwhelmed and stressed. Here are some general guidelines with tips about what to do—and not do—if you have a friend you’re worried about.

Guiding Principles for Helping a Friend

Check in with yourself first

There are so many relevant sayings about self-care here; you can’t pour from an empty vessel, put your oxygen mask on first, etc. The bottom line: if you feel a friend needs support, check in with yourself to see what you are capable of doing. Your only responsibility is to navigate these conversations with compassion for both yourself and your friend. If supporting someone else is leading you to neglect your own responsibilities in favor of the other person’s, you’re disrespecting your friend’s autonomy (see below) and you’re abandoning your own obligations, it may be time to draw a boundary. You are absolutely allowed to tell your friend, “I can’t help you with this anymore.” Protecting your own energy is a legitimate, healthy and positive choice.

Respect autonomy

The most respectful, responsible thing you can do is to create space for your friend to make their own decisions. Wanting to jump in, make decisions and be directive is a common instinct in folks who want to help their friends. However, this often takes away the autonomy of the person you’re trying to help. Your role is to be their friend, not a clinician.

Listen for understanding, not persuasion

No matter how much sense you make, how sure you are about what a friend should do, and how clearly and articulately you express your opinion—attempting to persuade a friend to do things your way disrespects their autonomy. When you’re sitting with someone, try to focus on really hearing what they’re saying rather than formulating a response. Reflect back to them what they say and make sure you really understand what they’re experiencing. A strategy for doing this is to avoid the word “but.” Not "You want to feel better but you don’t want to take medication,” which closes a door; instead, try “You want to feel better and you don't want to take medication,” which opens the door to what they might want to do.

Change takes time

A major thing to keep in mind when trying to help a friend, is that change is incremental. For example, just because you have one conversation with someone about their drinking problem, doesn’t mean that they’re going to stop drinking altogether or seek help then and there. Respect your friend enough to allow them to change at their own pace and in their own way. If you feel their process is negatively impacting you, it may be time to think about your boundaries in the relationship or seek support for yourself.

Yes, tell someone

A class dean, an area coordinator, your HR or HP, the associate director for wellness, a nurse—there are lots of people on campus you can go to if you’re worried about a friend, especially if the situation involves any physical risk (abuse, suicide, etc). The person you tell might not—indeed, probably won’t—be able to do something immediately to change the situation, but being aware of such circumstances can help others support your friend. We can show you available resources and provide steps and strategies you can take if the situation gets more serious.

Smith employees and caregivers sometimes ask about support resources available to students who are struggling. Here are some ideas for a starting place. As a reminder, the Schacht Center cannot provide ANY information about care provided to a student without a relevant Release of Information on file. If you call the Schacht Center to ask about whether a student is receiving services, we will not confirm or deny any information without an ROI. 

Guiding Principles

• Active listening: When someone is in crisis, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and uncertain about how to respond. When in doubt, employ active listening skills. Focus more on listening to understand rather than worrying about what you will say in response. When active listening, it is important to withhold judgement, ask clarifying questions when relevant, and show that you are engaged. It can also be supportive to reflect back what you are hearing the student say.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions: When someone is feeling very overwhelmed and dysregulated, they may be having thoughts of self-harm or suicidal ideation. If you are concerned this is a possibility, it is important to ASK the student if this has come to their mind. Asking about suicidal ideation or self-harm DOES NOT make it more likely for someone to act. Some examples of ways to ask about this include:
  • “I hear that you’re in a lot of pain right now; has part of this looked like thoughts of self-harm or suicide?”
  • “I’m so sorry to hear this breakup has been so difficult. Sometimes when people are going through similar things, they might have thoughts of ending their life. Has that been coming up for you?”
• Share resources: if the student is open to it, you can share resources for support on campus. Some options include:
  • Schacht Center for Health and Wellness: therapy and psychiatric medication prescribing available here. These services are free to students and health insurance is not billed. 
    
    NOTE: Caregivers cannot make appointments for students.
  • Accessibility Resource Center: this department can help students organize accommodations they might need.
  • Residence Life: Area directors and other Residence Life staff are available to help students navigate housing and social situations.
  • Center for Religious and Spiritual Life: pastoral and spiritual counseling available.
• You are not alone: Smith has a broad network of support available to students who are struggling. If you are worried about a student, there are options:
  • If you are immediately concerned about a student’s safety or they are at risk of harming someone else, call Campus Safety immediately: 413-585-2800.
  • If you are concerned about a student, you can submit a student of concern form. Referrals are reviewed by the Dean of Students or a member of the Dean of the College’s team during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and may not be immediately reviewed. However, this is a starting point for helping the college know that something is going on and think about how we can support a student.