CARE Team

Staff/Faculty Resources

Referring a Student to the CARE Team

When a student's behavior goes beyond the normal classroom disturbance and appears distressed, you can contact the CARE Team for assistance. The team will evaluate the circumstances and determine the appropriate plan of action for the student.

To refer a student, we highly advise you to complete a CARE Report Form to ensure accuracy and a first-hand-account of the situation. We also advise you to review the "What to Watch For/Levels of Concern" diagram to understand how to respond to the different issues that may arise with a student. If you are concerned about a student, but have not witnessed any distressing or disruptive behavior, please explain your concern in detail. If you need to consult with a member of the team before submitting a report, you can contact the Assistant Dean of Students, Mary Logan, via email or at 903.565.5869.

CARE Team referrals will be received during normal business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), and are not monitored after hours, on weekends, or during official University holidays. If this is a true emergency or requires immediate attention, please call 911 or UPD Dispatch at 903.566.7300.

Responding to Suicidal Concerns

When a student makes any reference to suicide or threat of suicide, a mental health professional should make a judgment about the seriousness of a possible suicidal thought or behavior. Suicide attempts are first and foremost a medical emergency. If danger or suicidal behavior appears imminent:

1. Stay Calm;
2. Call 911 or UPD Dispatch at 903.566.7300; and
3. To Save a Life Remember QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer):
   1. Question the person about the suicide;
   2. Persuade the person to get help; and
   3. Refer to the CARE Team via the CARE Report Form for help.

Distressed Individual(s)

A distressed individual is an individual who:

• Makes threats of physical harm to you, others, or themselves;
• An individual who behaves in a bizarre manner or exhibits unstable behavior patterns;
• Appears to be intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance; and/or
• Exhibits a weapon.

In order to communicate to distressed individual(s), we advise the following:

• Express your authority with non-verbal cues. For example, be confident in your approach.
• Sit or stand erect while making direct eye contact with the individual.
• Conduct yourself in a serious manner.
• Speak clearly and distinctively while utilizing your reflective listening skills.

Moving Beyond the Behavioral Issues

Traditionally, BIT primarily focused on cases involving behavioral concerns. However, as we understand the unique needs in higher education, we understand that support we provide to students must extend beyond traditional practices. As such, we rebranded ourselves to CARE in order to focus on the student's holistic needs; for example, home insecurity, food insecurity, and more. When you hear about these unique situations, please notify our CARE Team through the CARE Report Form.

Additional Resources

• CARE Team Manual (Coming Soon)
  • The CARE Team Manual provides you an inside look into the processes the CARE Team takes to address student cases.
• CARE Team Manual for Staff/Faculty (Coming Soon)
  • The CARE Team Manual for Staff/Faculty is a supplemental resources to help you when dealing with a student of concern. This manual provides you with a list of resources and protocol of addressing a situation.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  
  • The purposes of this FAQ is to provide information to staff and faculty about referral services, and available options to address situations with a student of concern.
• Student Success Resources
  • The Student Success Resource is a one-page sheet that you can share with a student of concern. This information sheet will provide students a list of confidential, emergency, community, and university resources available to the individual.
• What to Watch For/Levels of Concern
  • The What to Watch For/Level of Concern diagram provides you a simple guide to classroom management with students of concern, when to document an incident, and when to contact emergency personnel.