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New Mexico State University
Counseling Center

Crisis Help

Crisis Assistance

Each day a counselor is available to see new clients or to assist with crisis situations. This person is available from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. At all times we make room to deal with emergencies. Please come to our office and let us know your needs.

After hours emergencies are referred to:

  • "The Call" (24-hour crisis line for Southern New Mexico), 575-646-2255
  • La Pinon Rape Crisis Center, 575-526-3437
  • Memorial Medical Center, 575-522-8641.

Information for Faculty and Staff

As a New Mexico State University faculty or staff member, you will at some time encounter a student in distress. Your role as helper is not only valuable, but crucial. Often you will be able to respond effectively to the student's needs; however, there will be occasions when you will want to refer the student to someone for assistance. This brochure is designed to help you recognize the signs of distress and to provide the basic knowledge and skills necessary to intervene effectively. For a listing of referral sources, please contact the current student handbook. Should you need additional help, the Counseling Center is prepared to respond. A professional staff member will be happy to consult with you about ways through which you might help the student or make an appropriate referral. The Center is open Monday through Friday from 8-5; the phone number is 646-2731, email: counsel@nmsu.edu. More information concerning the Counseling Center and the many services available is online at: http://www.nmsu.edu/~counsel

Some Useful Information:

Sources of Stress for Students

Signs of Distress  

When to Refer

Reasons for Referral Failure

Sources of Stress for Students

Academic/Vocational

  • Tests and grades: competition and performance anxiety
  • Difficulties with instructors and class environment/participation
  • Procrastination and poor time management
  • Lack of motivation
  • Inadequate study skills
  • Problems in major selection and course choices
  • Uncertain vocational goals and career direction
  • Concerns about employment skills and opportunities

Personal/Family

  • Separation from family, homesickness
  • Parental pressures and expectations
  • Financial concerns
  • Interpersonal conflicts, including peer pressure and peer approval
  • Concerns about intimate relationships and sexuality
  • Perfectionistic standards, unrealistic expectations
  • Indefinite or conflicting goals and values
  • Personal identity and self-esteem issues
  • Loneliness, lack of support system
  • Difficulties in adjusting to change
  • Unsatisfactory living conditions
  • Concerns about personal appearance
  • Unbalanced life style (work, school, leisure)
  • Substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, food)

Crises/Unexpected Events

  • Death of significant other
  • Divorce or marital separation (incl. parental)
  • Breakup of relationship
  • Academic disappointment or failure
  • Unexpected pregnancy
  • Major injury or illness
  • Change in financial situation
  • Loss of job
  • Sexual assault
  • Physical, emotional isolation

Return to Useful Information

Signs of Distress

It is important to note that any single symptom by itself may not indicate the presence of unmanageable stress. Assessment involves the total picture of the individual’s functioning. Look for combinations of symptoms, overall patterns.

Change:

  • in sleep patterns (insomnia or extreme sleepiness, nightmares)
  • in appetite (overeating or loss of appetite)
  • in weight (notable gain or loss)
  • in energy level (hyperactivity or exhaustion)
  • in mood (more irritable, more excitable, or more depressed)
  • in performance or activity (compulsive, erratic, or diminished)
  • in personal appearance (lapse in grooming or hygiene)
  • Physical Complaints of Unknown Origin:
  • headaches, skeletal pain, gastrointestinal disturbances, cardiovascular problems, frequent illness or accidental injury, dizziness, extreme weakness

Withdrawal:

  • from activities and social interaction
  • from emotional involvement with others
  • from academic work and classroom participation

Emotional Overreaction:

  • spells of crying
  • hypersensitivity
  • outbursts of anger inappropriate to the situation
  • violent behavior

Carelessness:

  • reckless driving
  • excessive risk-taking
  • sexual acting-out
  • general impulsivity

Substance Abuse:

  • overuse or regular use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and/or medication (without medical monitoring)

Distraction:

  • inability to concentrate or focus
  • persistent memory lapses
  • restlessness
  • preoccupation

Depression:

  • sense of pessimism and helplessness
  • feeling out of control
  • anxiety
  • self-preoccupation
  • negative self-evaluation
  • references to suicide

Poor Contact With Reality:

  • irrational conversation
  • obsessional ruminations or worrying
  • exaggerated suspiciousness or fear
  • apparent distortions of reality (auditory or visual hallucinations, inability to distinguish fantasy from reality), disorientation

Inappropriate Behavior:

  • behavior inappropriate to the setting or situation
  • dangerous or threatening (to self or others) behaviors
  • bizarre or strange behaviors
  • antisocial acts (stealing, forcible sex, illegal pursuits)

Anxiety:

  • panic feelings
  • physical shakiness
  • obsessive and ruminating thoughts
  • rapid heart rate
  • shortness of breath

Return to Useful Information

When to Refer

There are two primary reasons for making a referral. The first involves a problem or situation which requires the services of a more appropriate resource or agency. In this case, you as the helper will need to determine specifically what information or assistance the student is seeking and where the student is most likely to find that information or assistance. The second reason occurs when the helper is unable to deal effectively with the student’s presenting issues. It is not always easy to determine when problems are severe enough to warrant professional referral and intervention. Should you need additional clarification, please arrange to speak with a counselor at the Counseling Center.

General Guidelines For Referral

  1. If you perceive the problem to be beyond your expertise, i.e., one for which your knowledge, training, and/or experience is inadequate, it is best to refer the student.
  2. Assess previous attempts you or the student has made to alleviate the symptoms or rectify the problem. If no progress is demonstrable, refer the student.
  3. If you and/or the student are uncomfortable in dealing with the problem, refer the student.

How to Refer

  1. First and foremost, become FAMILIAR with university and community RESOURCES and the kinds of services they provide.
  2. LISTEN carefully to the student’s stated concerns and be sensitive to those that may underlie the presenting problem (issues that are unstated, brushed aside, or intimated).
  3. Be aware of additional INDICATORS of a PROBLEM: poor grades, frequent absences; withdrawn or isolating behaviors; expressed hostility toward teachers, parents, friends, or others; major and/or career uncertainty; complaints of loneliness; references to hopelessness and/or suicidal thoughts.
  4. Communicate your understanding of the student’s FEELINGS, acknowledging BEHAVIOR YOU HAVE OBSERVED (“You’ve been missing a lot of classes lately. What is happening with you right now?”)
  5. AVOID ARGUMENTS with the person, attempts to convince the person of your point-of-view, and TOUCHING of the person. Instead RESPOND with warmth, kindness, and clarity, using a firm but calm approach.
  6. Explore student’s PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT RESOLUTION: what steps have already been taken, what resources have been utilized, what persons or agencies have been contacted. Ask about the outcome of such actions.
  7. DISCUSS the possibility of REFERRAL with the student (see list of referral sources). Be honest and direct about your limitations. Avoid judgmental language or vocabulary with negative implications (“You’re in bad shape. You ought to see a shrink.”)
  8. Propose the referral in a direct and positive manner. Present ACCURATE and SPECIFIC INFORMATION as to what services are provided, what kind of help can be expected. If appropriate, refer to a specific person or persons (personalizing the referral may establish a greater sense of safety for the student).
  9. Solicit the student’s RESPONSE to the suggested referral: “What do you think about the idea? How does that feel to you?” (allows for examination of feelings, potential for follow-through).
  10. If the student agrees to be referred, invite the student to MAKE THE APPOINTMENT while in your office. If the student seems reluctant to do so but glad to have you offer, and if you are comfortable with doing so, make the appointment and note for him/her the date, time, location, and person with whom he/she will be meeting. Do not disclose confidential information to the referral source without written permission from the student.
  11. If you are concerned about the SERIOUSNESS or URGENCY of the problem despite the student’s unwillingness to be referred, please call the Counseling Center for consultation.
  12. It is important to KEEP WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION of your efforts to refer the student for future reference. Note date and action taken or recommended.
  13. If the student maintains contact with you after the referral, CONTINUE TO BE SUPPORTIVE, but be careful to maintain confidentiality and to stay within your realm of responsibility (e.g., academic needs, financial problems, health concerns).

Return to Useful Information

Reasons for Referral Failure

On occasion, despite one’s good intentions and accurate knowledge of resources, a referral is not successful. Before you judge yourself, the student, or the referral source too harshly, consider the following possibilities:

  1. The student may not have been ready to receive the kind of help offered. Readiness is an essential component of effective help; it is not a one-way process.
  2. There may have been a disparity between the student’s expectations and the actual nature and extent of help provided by the referral source.
  3. The referral source may have been inappropriate for the type of help needed.
  4. The referral source may not have been aware of the student’s actual needs due to misunderstanding, misinformation, or poor communication.
  5. There may have been an incompatible relationship between the student and the referral source.

Should you, in a follow-up contact, discover that the referral was unsuccessful, there are several steps you can take. Continue to be receptive to the student, try to determine the reason for failure, and once again explore options with the student.

  1. If lack of readiness is the problem, be accepting of the student’s feelings, but communicate your limitations and encourage the student to consider other options for assistance. It is possible that at a later date or under different circumstances, the student will be more receptive.
  2. If disparity or inappropriateness is the problem, define more carefully with the student his/her needs and expectations and investigate more thoroughly the nature of the help offered by the referral source. Then try again!
  3. If lack of awareness on the part of the referral source is the problem, with the student’s permission, make direct contact with the referral source to correct or provide information about the student’s needs.
  4. If incompatibility is the problem, encourage the student to try another person or another agency rather than giving up. If you feel comfortable providing a specific individual for referral, do so.