Faculty and Staff Resources

In The Classroom
A Guide for Faculty In The Wake of a Tragedy

As a member of the faculty, you may encounter students in your classroom who are experiencing reactions in light of a traumatic event.  When a local, national, or world tragedy occurs, faculty members often express the wish to help their students effectively deal with the aftermath.  While there is no “correct” response, this guide may provide assistance about how to respond to students.

Should I Lead a Discussion?
One of the first decisions you will have to make is whether you want to address the topic in your class. Even if you decide that using class time to host a discussion would not be appropriate for your course, it is probably best to acknowledge the event. Failure to mention the event can result in students becoming angry at what they label as a “professor’s insensitivity to what happened.” If you choose not to devote discussion time to the event, you might mention to students that tragedies stir up many emotions, and you could remind the students that there are resources on campus where they might consider seeking support such as the Counseling Center.  

Points to Consider
If you wish to provide an opportunity for discussion, you may worry about how to discuss something that is so distressing. Here are some ideas to consider:

• There is no single correct time for these discussions, though it is probably best to consider a discussion within a week of the occurrence of the tragedy.
• The discussion can be brief. Consider providing an opportunity at the beginning of a class period and a short time period may be more effective/practical than a whole class period.   
• Remember that everyone’s story is valid. Not everyone has to speak. Emotional debriefing is not about establishing facts of the incident. It is about expression of feelings.
• Although a discussion may feel like it is disrupting your class, the minor loss of instructional time will be insignificant compared to the risk that students’ learning may be compromised if they are having serious emotional reactions.

How Do I Lead This Discussion?

• Acknowledge the event

Introduce the opportunity by briefly acknowledging the tragic event and suggesting that it might be helpful to share personal reactions students may have. You might say, “I’m still (sad, shaken, upset) by the tragedy that happened on Monday. How are each of you (feeling, doing, coping) with this?"

• Discuss the importance of sharing

Emphasize that talking about the trauma can be a healing thing to do. You might lead off by saying something like: “Often it is helpful to share your own feelings and hear how others are feeling. It doesn’t change the reality, but it takes away the sense of loneliness that sometimes accompanies stressful events. I would now like to give you an opportunity to share.” If you share some of your feelings, it will encourage them to talk.

• Take turns

Give the students 30 seconds to a minute to say something. They may need a little time to get the courage to speak. Don’t push students to share if they are uncomfortable. They may want to talk privately so you can remind them of your office hours, your e-mail address, or your willingness to meet individually.

• Your response to their comments can be simple

Whatever students say can be answered with: “It must be terrible to think about that.” Or “It must hurt a lot to remember it that way.”

• Allow brief discussion of the “facts,” and then shift to emotions.

Often the discussion starts with students asking questions about what actually happened, and “debating” some details. People are more comfortable discussing “facts,” than feelings, so it’s best to allow this exchange for a brief period of time. After facts have been exchanged, you can try to shift the discussion toward sharing personal and emotional reactions.

• Allow for a range of reactions.

If students begin debating the “right way” to react to a tragedy, it is useful to comment that each person copes with stress in a unique way, and there is no “right way” to react.

• Be prepared for blaming

When people are upset, they often look for someone to blame. Essentially, this is a displacement of anger and helps people cope. The idea is that if someone did something wrong, then future tragedies can be avoided by doing things “right.”  If the discussion gets “stuck” with blaming, it is might be useful to say “We have been focusing on our sense of anger and blame, and that’s not unusual. It might be useful to talk about our fears.”

• A future orientation can be helpful.

Students may experience a range of emotions, depending on how close they were to the tragedy.  They may feel guilty or wish they could have done something to change things. You might ask: “What are you worried about right now?” When they speak about future concerns, you might be able to alleviate some of their worries with facts or other ideas and thoughts.

• Thank students for sharing and remind them of resources on campus.

In ending the discussion, it is useful to remind them that people cope in a variety of ways. If a student would benefit from further discussion, you can encourage them to use of campus resources. 

• Allow for a break before moving on.

When student finish talking, they may need a break before transitioning to something else.  You can suggest a moment of silence. Suggest that they close their eyes and breathe slowly and deeply for three or four minutes.  Another option would be to allow them to get up and move around for a bit.

• If you are worried about a particular person, approach her/him privately.

Validate the student’s feelings and let the person know you care.  Again, there is no right way to act so don’t try to talk students out of their feelings. It may be helpful to suggest that they seek additional support by talking to others - family, friends, community advisors, or seeking out support from the Counseling Center.

How to Make a Referral to the Counseling Center
Presenting yourself as knowledgeable about campus services can ease a student’s discomfort about seeking help. Assure the student that seeking help is a sign of strength and does not necessarily mean there are serious problems. Assure the student you are referring him/her to the Counseling Center because you are concerned and want him/her to get appropriate assistance. Here are some suggestions for urgent and non-emergency situations. 

Urgent/Crisis Situations:

During Business Hours:

• Counseling Center staff are available for consultation Monday - Friday, 8:00am – 5:00 pm.

You may call 882-6601 and ask to speak with the staff member on-call. It is also appropriate to walk the student over to the Center at 119 Parker Hall.  

Outside of Business Hours:

• If a situation needs immediate attention, such as you believe the student is a danger to him or herself or to others please call the MU Police at 882-7201 or the Columbia Police at 911. In most cases, their response will involve having an officer facilitate transport of the student to a hospital emergency room for evaluation.  

Non-Emergency Referrals:

• Encourage the student to contact the Counseling Center directly to schedule an initial assessment interview by calling 882-6601. You may also want to offer to let the student call from your office if you believe extra support/encouragement is needed.

What to Expect at the Counseling Center
Scheduling an Appointment:
To schedule an appointment, a student can call us at 882-6601 or simply walk in to the Center at 119 Parker Hall during business hours. There are no additional charges for counseling services provided at the Counseling Center and students may receive up to 12 individual or couples therapy sessions per year; there is not a session limit on participation in group therapy.  Students will be scheduled for an initial assessment appointment which takes approximately 1.5 hours.  This assessment is used to determine if the Counseling Center’s services are the best option for the student, and if so, which of our services would be appropriate. If it is determined during the assessment that the student would benefit from individual therapy at the Counseling Center, the student will be assigned to a therapist and his or her first appointment will usually be for the following week. A student must be taking at least one class on campus to be eligible for services.

Contacting the MU Counseling Center

• 119 Parker Hall
• Columbia, MO 65211-2340
• Office: (573) 882-6601
• Fax: (573) 884-4936
• http://counseling.missouri.edu/

We are located on the northwest corner of campus on 6th street between Stewart and Elm.