Providing A Safe Environment: Identifying At Risk Students, Employees, and Citizens (Violence Prevention) Presented By Sherry M. Wilson, LCSW Executive Director, UTEAP & WorkLife Services

Your Local Fire Department Efforts & Energy Expended: - 05% Extinguishing Fires - 95% Devoted to Prevention

The 4 C’s of Violence Prevention Commitment Culture Collaboration Communication

Commitment Everyone’s responsibility - Executive Leadership must lead the way Zero tolerance: implementation is key Make funding available to provide a safe environment

Culture of Safety & Respect Environment of safety and respect for others Differences and diversity are respected Communication is encouraged and supported Conflict is managed constructively Emotional intelligence is encouraged as much as educational & intellectual pursuits

Culture, con’t. Policies in place: –include all forms of violent behavior –authorize designated personnel to meet and discuss identified “at-risk”persons –conduct threat-assessment inquiries if necessary –outline procedures for dealing with at-risk persons, breaking confidentiality and sharing information, when/how to refer to community resources, falsely accusing others

Culture, con’t. Maintain safe environment(including facilities, adequate security, phone zones,etc.) Adequate technologies to alert others of a crisis Culture that supports listening and encourages others to speak up if they have concerns about others

Collaboration Violence Prevention is a joint/collaborative initiative Use expertise of all major departments--HR, Facilities, Environmental Safety, Public Affairs, Telecommunications, IT, etc. Include students when possible/peer support Educate faculty, staff, and students with training

Collaboration, con’t Create a committee that is composed of critical representatives across campus--HR, Public Affairs, Facilities, etc., that meets regularly and has the authority to discuss identified “at-risk” persons and if necessary, conduct a threat-assessment inquiry

Communication Must first communicate to all faculty, staff and students about school’s commitment for a violence-free workplace and learning environment and that it is every person’s responsibility to help create that environment and culture.

Communication, con’t. It is better to over-communicate than under- communicate In collaboration with major departments, your primary communications department is critical in getting the word out regarding your initiative, policies, trainings and dates, etc.

Communications, con’t. There must be a process whereby every faculty, staff member, and student knows how and where to go to get information in times of a crisis. –School’s home page –brochures available in key locations –wallet cards –phone stickers

Communications, con’t Training on how to identify “At-Risk” persons and how to refer them for help must be made available for every faculty member, staff member, and student Involve your student association groups to help support involvement in initiative and in getting the training out to students

Communications, con’t. Some schools are asking for waiver from students to investigate a student’s behavior if behavior becomes a concern by others Many schools are “beefing” up their trainings on: –conflict management –emotional intelligence –communication and listening skills

Communication, con’t Research reveals that every “attacker” interviewed has stated that they felt they had no one to talk to about their problem and saw no other choice to resolve their problem Positive mentoring program and supervisory/managerial relationships are the most critical tools in violence prevention

Identifying “At-Risk” Persons No specific profile; however... What is observed from other “attackers” are some common characteristics Common characteristics are same for students as they are adult co-workers, including faculty, with a few exceptions Only 1% of mentally ill use violence to resolve their concerns/conflicts

Identifying “At-Risk” Persons “Loner” behavior--old or new Most engage in some behavior that leads others to suspect or wonder…. History of difficulty coping with losses May have had a recent loss or personal failure that they feel is “the last straw” Many have history of being bullied or feel persecuted or injured by others

Identifying “At-Risk” Persons Students usually more “overt” -May hear conversations about weapon use -May hear fantasy stories of harming others -May be warned about target day -May see excessive preoccupation with video games, violent movies, etc. -May see less personal hygiene

Identifying “At-Risk” Persons Faculty or staff usually more “covert” in actions, seldom signaling their intentions like students often do. Anger and/or rage “seething” below the surface, so often seem “touchy”, “irritable”, etc. May see more “overt” symptoms of depression--poor work performance, etc.

Identifying “At-Risk” Persons Motivation –Revenge for perceived injury or grievance –Yearning for attention, recognition, or notoriety –A wish to solve a problem otherwise seen as unbearable and/or unsolvable in any other way –A desire to die or be killed

Helping “At-Risk” Persons Let the person know you are concerned about him/her. Never confront or deny their perceptions; try to support their feelings without necessarily agreeing with them (I am sure that must feel terrible for you.) Encourage and support them in looking into options for help.

Helping “At-Risk” Persons “You must be feeling terrible about this. I know I would. What options have you considered?” “I want to help but don’t feel I am expert enough. How about we think about the Counseling Center..They do more than therapy, you know. They can coach you on how to solve this problem”.

Helping “At-Risk” Persons, “Well, I know you aren’t too keen on the Counseling Center, but I really have been helped by them/know students, etc. Help me understand why you don’t want to make an appointment.” You may be able to reduce their resistance enough to get him/her to the right resource for help.

Helping “At-Risk” Person Goal is not to “solve” the problem Goal is to get this person to the appropriate resource Always make sure this “at-risk” person has been reported to the team meeting regularly to watch out for “at-risk” persons.

Questions?

Thank you for coming! Sherry Wilson