Stuart Altschuler, MFT
Counselor

Office Hours
(Walk-in & by appointment)

Monday        10am-1pm
Tuesday       12pm-3pm
Wednesday   10am-1pm
Thursday      12pm-3pm

Available at other times
By appointment

Call extension 4596
Office Location:  L-101-A
(In Academic Support Center, ASC, of the library)

Procedures for Referrals and Services

What is Crisis Intervention counseling?

This is a new service provided for students at College of the Redwoods.  It is meant for those students who are having difficulties in their life that have become extreme enough for them to exhibit acute or ongoing emotional, behavioral, academic, relationship or physical symptoms. 

The goal of this service is to identify those students in need and direct them to a road toward solution, even if they feel that the situation is hopeless.  Crisis Intervention is usually NOT a one time session.  It is a process of addressing a distressing situation and may happen over time and need a number of counseling sessions before an appropriate referral can be made for ongoing psychotherapy, support or therapy group, community social services or another on campus support system.

There are two types of students in crisis that would be appropriate for referral.

1. Acute Crisis:  This is an emergency situation that needs immediate attention and cannot wait for an appointment at a future date.  In this situation, faculty or staff sees the student as imminently in danger to themselves or to others and cannot be left on their own.  It is up to the staff member to determine if the situation calls for emergency medical assistance or help from campus security.  It is after that determination is made, and acted upon if necessary, that it would be appropriate to contact the Crisis Intervention Counselor. After informing the counselor of the situation, the faculty member may be advised of an action to take or the counselor will attend to the student in person, as quickly as he can travel to the location on campus.  This service will be available 24 hours per day. 
2. Ongoing Life Crisis:  Faculty may, over time, notice changes in a student’s behavior, demeanor, physical condition, or deterioration of their academic functioning.  If the faculty member feels comfortable to do so, they should see if they can engage the student in conversation, making observations in a non confrontational and tactful manner.  The goal of this conversation would be to encourage the student to seek help and give them the information on how to contact the Crisis Intervention Counseling Office.  Let them know you will also be notifying the Crisis Counselor that you made this recommendation.  Fill in the referral form and send to the office, as soon as possible.

If the faculty member is not comfortable in this role, just fill in the information on the Referral Form and send it to the Crisis Counseling Office immediately.  A phone call to the counselor would also be helpful to discuss the concerns and observations.  The Crisis Counselor will follow up by contacting the student and encouraging him or her to come in for an appointment. 

What is an appropriate referral?

Err on the side of caution.  If you observe something that concerns you strongly enough to consider Crisis Intervention as an option, then making the referral may save this student’s life or the lives of others.  Most students are not used to someone caring enough to offer help.  Even if you are not sure, give the Counselor the opportunity to help make the determination with you.

Who can make the referral?

• Any staff or faculty member can refer a student to the Crisis Intervention Counselor. 
• Students may also seek the assistance of the Counselor on their own.  This service will be well publicized so that students will know where to go for help and the phone number to call.  

Is this service covered by Confidentiality codes of ethics?

Students will be informed of the limits of confidentiality at the beginning of the first session.  Those limits are as follows:

Information discussed in the crisis session is held confidential and not shared without written permission except under the following conditions.  State law mandates that mental health professionals report the following situations to the appropriate persons and/or agencies:

1. The Student threatens suicide;
2. The Student threatens to harm another person, including murder, assault or other physical harm;
3. The Student reports suspected child abuse, including but not limited to, physical beatings and sexual abuse;
4. The Student report abuse of the elderly.

Other limits include:

1. Consultation with other College of the Redwoods Health Services or another appropriate department where relevant support can be obtained.
2. In an emergency, another health care professional may review counseling notes.
3. Review of previous health or mental health service files.
4. The Student may be seen entering or leaving the counseling office.

Remember that Students exhibiting bizarre behavior, extreme anxiety or aggression, depressed demeanor or express thoughts of contemplating suicide, or are evidently under the influence of alcohol or drugs while in campus, are all reasons to reach out and make an intervention.  You can do this by personally reaching out to the Student (if you feel you have the tools or skills and comfort to do so) or acting as liaison with the Crisis Intervention Counseling Service.  It may bring you as much peace of mind as it could for the Student.