My Experience as a Hall Director

As individuals, we are diverse based on the background, experience, ability, race, language, etc. which impact the lens through which we view others and ourselves. As diverse individual, we may belong to dominant or non- dominant groups. Thus, either we have power and privilege or we experience discrimination and oppression. Further, we are shelled with diversity, ethnicity, and multiculturalism issues. Counselors have some ethical primary responsibilities to respect the dignity and promote the welfare of the client (A.1.a), “honoring diversity and embracing a multicultural approach in support of the worth, dignity” and “promoting social justice” (Herlihy & Corey, 2014, p. 3)

As a resident assistant, I upheld and am continuing to uphold University Housing’s mission of ensuring affordable, comfortable, secure housing on campus while promoting the academic success and personal growth of the residents. From crisis management to programming for the community, my responsibilities varied to be an enforcer of the policies but also to be a friend to all. I built quality relationships with each of my residents to establish an authentic community among the diverse population. Whether it was simply helping

Mental health among college students has been proven to be a relevant social issue that our society faces. There are certainly a few different institutions that play a large role within the development of this social issue. The first institution, and the primary institution at play with this issue, is the higher education system. In terms of mental health and having access to resources, college students haven’t always been as lucky as they are today. One study in 2007 explains the story of Junior at Syracuse University (Kravets, 3081). Anita Rutman had a history of mental health issues; she even found herself being admitted to a mental health hospital. One morning in February, she threw herself off of the eighth floor of Boland Hall and landed on a patio and fortunately lived. However, her attempt stemmed from the university sending her letter three days prior that informed Anita that the school was planning to dismiss her because of her suicidal tendencies (Kravets, 3081). Anita later sued Syracuse for ten million dollars for malpractice and negligence in handling her condition.

Teachers and staff will be trained to tell the if a student is experiencing symptoms of any type of mental health disorder. For example, if a student is having irregular mood swings or a fluctuation in weight, which are common symptoms of anxiety and depression. In the article, “Why Schools Should Screen Their Students' Mental Health”, it says,“If we made mental health part of the usual health system of a school, then it becomes more normal…”. If a student sees a positive outlook on mental health they would be opened to getting help. On some media platforms, mental health is portrayed as something to be ashamed of or a evil quality to posses. Mental health isn’t evil, it’s how the person deals with it that's important. Yes, if not treated it can cause negative effects but with the help from the community these children can live relatively normal lives. Children and adults struggle to comprehend the severity of mental illness, which causes them to avoid any form of treatment. In the future, mental health should become a thing not to be ashamed of. A person who broke a bone would go to the hospital right away, not wait for it to heal on its own. If you wouldn’t wait for a physical injury, why would you wait for

When I contemplated what fears and concerns I had had before mental health clinical I had difficulty coming up with anything. So I thought of the things that others might have been concerned about. Some people have the preconception that most mental health patients are violent and prone to violent outbursts. This fear cause them to be afraid for their safety. Others were concerned that they wouldn’t be able to empathize with the patients. This can stem from many different preconceptions. It can stem from the preconception that all mental health patients are crazy and unpredictable. This fear also stems from the difficulty of differentiating a persons mental illness from their lack of character. For example at first glance someone with anorexia might appear to be an attention seeker or just overly self absorbed when in actuality their mental illness. Another example would be a kleptomaniac, most of society would look at this as a huge character deficit and therefor have difficulty empathizing even though it is actually a mental illness. Other’s don’t have difficulty empathizing, but rather are afraid they won’t know what to say. And still others are concerned they wont be able to do anything. As it turns out these were my concerns. I already knew the milieu was behind locked doors with security and that no personal belongings were allowed on the floor. This meant I wasn’t afraid of violence or being stolen from. I also know that

In the course of proper identification, evaluation, and treatment, children and adolescents suffering with mental illness can conduct positive, normal lives. Nevertheless, the devastating majority of children with mental illnesses are unsuccessfully identified and the lack of treatment or support services have led to a subordinate worth of life and violence. The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2013 (S. 689) is an inclusive bill proposed to address the extensive issue of mental health. By strongly considering the United States’ struggle against mental illness and school violence, as well as utilizing theoretical constructs to examine the Senate’s bill, a social worker can develop a more holistic perspective that can productively integrate practical insights reached from a variety of different points of view.

In my current field placement I work with adults who are seeking help with mental illness and substance use. The program is a Partial Hospital Program (PHP), however, there is housing available to those who are homeless. The program is a two to three week program and while the patients are there, the case managers provide group therapy, help with scheduling aftercare and find housing for those who need it. A large percentage of the patients have untreated mental illness and have been self medicating with substances.

Our school also has facilities for people suffering from this illness in the special needs room. For the students who need help learning and are going through problems due to their mental illness, there are trained personnel to help you out and get you through what you are going through. I remember my experience with a young boy suffering from a mental illness who lives on my street vividly because it was shocking to me. We were getting

Mental illness is a rising issue in our country. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that 1 out of every 17 people in this country suffer from a mental illness (Pearson 2014). With this large of a number, we should expect that our law enforcement personnel understand how to deal with these individuals, correct? Wrong. As reported by Pearson (2014), half of the all those killed during a police encounter last year were dealing with some form of a mental illness. According to Reuland (2009), there have been two national policies put in place. However, these policies, or procedures, are how to identify someone who is mentally ill and what services to call. It does not specify the procedure of a mentally ill individual who is becoming violent. In my opinion, the current procedures are inadequate

Through my time being part of the community in North and South Hedges I have learned how to take control of conduct and build rapport through following up with residents. I have also experienced many crisis situations. Both in dealing with the aftermath of a fight in my first week of being an RA, and managing a suicide attempt by one of my residents. Because of these experiences, and prior knowledge, I am ready to step into a larger role concerning conduct situations and student wellness.

New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act went in effect in 2012. The act purpose is to provide a safe educational environment to all students. Therefore, the act requires school district to revise codes of conduct and adopt policies to create a safe environment. This includes, an environment free of harassment and discrimination. Additionally, the school districts must adopt guidelines to be used in a school training programs to raise awareness of these issues. Lastly, one staff member in each school must be trained in non-discriminatory counseling methods and handling relations. Moreover, how can one develop strategies to integrate DASA into comprehensive counseling programs.

family are directly impacted. Dealing with a mentally ill patient can be very stressful, especially

Mental illness can change a persons’ capacity to make rational and safe decisions, often creating a contradiction in actions to their core ethics and beliefs (Mind, Mental health crisis care: physical restraint in crisis report, June 2013). David Bennett had suffered with schizophrenia for nearly 20 years, leading to aggressive changes in his mood. On the evening of David’s death he had an incident with another patient, which caused him to become angry, leading to a physical altercation,

I am interning at Pittsburgh Mercy’s Behavioral Health Service Coordination Unit (PMBH-SU). The unit serves 500-700 clients (consumers), and includes six teams. Each team includes a supervisor and 10-to-15 service coordinators (SC) and aids a specific population, such as adults, adolescents, and children. Additionally, all service coordinators’ clients have a mental health illness(s) diagnosis. PMBH-SCU provides outpatient services and individualized supportive services to clients of the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System. Employees in this unit typically obtained a social work or human services education or related professional experiences. The Unit’s goals are to coordinate services, offer support, and empower consumers to live healthy, fulfilling

The purpose of this study is to find out whether or not students are comfortable working with individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness.