AUCCCD Director Survey 2016-17
The Counseling Center has been called upon to provide walk in services for students impacted by situations on campus directly related to divisive social encounters. The Counseling Center also co-sponsors (with Outreach Education) forums as needed on socially divisive issues. The day following the presidential election, we extended our drop in hours and held an open group in a common area. We also sent campus wide email with regard to coping with anxiety. There has been an increase in programs via our student life office as well as academic departments to address social and political events since that day. Provided programming on micro-aggressions to all freshmen. Active involvement in campus programming. Providing mandated counseling to students exhibiting disrespectful behavior and speech. Some centers described the impact on clinicians and their own responses: Director encouraged staff to process their own feelings and encouraged them to meet all clients where they are by providing a safe place for all clients to manage their reactions to those events. The Counseling Center also attempts to offer information to staff members, as well as the space for staff members to process their reactions to events, in an effort to ensure that staff members are equipped to help impacted students. Some centers noted concern about neutrality: We have not been involved on a larger scale. Important for us to support students' regardless of political stance. For political events, we remain neutral when on campus. We are advocates for social justice for targeted groups. Some centers reported attending/participating in events that others organized on campus or serving on relevant committees: When events are planned we are present. Attendance at campus events, individual supports for students/staff. We have attended DACA protests and we display a DACA poster outside Center to show support for DACA students. We have attended events to support impacted students while not taking political positions since we are State employees. We have added training regarding DACA students so we are better informed. We participate in campus discussions and also make certain that counselor support is available at events that are likely to need them. We attend town hall meetings in our neutral role as counselors. We provided support through individual therapy and being at campus events. We are present at all campus events that address these issues.
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