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RESULTS
OF THE FUNDRAISER:
 o
I have been very encouraged as I've been able to see responses
from residence halls all over the country
to the tragic events of September 11.
I'm extremely pleased to
announce that the ResidentAssistant.com-HigherEdJobs.com
fundraiser raised $11,274.94 for the American Red Cross
Disaster Relief Fund!
As
previously mentioned, the top three fundraisers will receive $100
gift certificates to a national pizza chain of their choice. They
are:
1. The RAs
of SUNY-Fredonia: $2,261.50 - Submitted by Jessica S.
2. Aurora Hall - College
of St. Benedict:
$2,109.60 -
Submitted by Sarah S.
3. Stockard/Martin Hall - University of Mississippi:
$1,424.00 - Submitted
by David S.
Thank
you to all of those who participated in this fundraiser.
Your checks have been forwarded to the American Red Cross, and I
know your contributions will make a difference. Any
additional checks received will still be forwarded on to the Red
Cross and the amounts will be added to the site.
The
responses to this tragedy and the resulting events have been
amazing. It is inspiring to see the potential that exists when we provide
our students with the opportunity to make a difference. It is my
hope that you will continue this in many ways in the future, both
in your halls and elsewhere.
SPECIAL
DISCUSSION FORUM: Please log on to the ResidentAssistant.com
message boards and tell us what you did at your institution,
either to raise funds, raise awareness, or bring your community
together after Sept. 11. Visit: /archive/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi
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SPONSORS
Southern
Placement ExchangeMark your calendars now for March 7-10,
2002. If you are interested in pursuing employment in housing or
residence life, don't miss this exchange! For more information, be
sure to visit /archive/jobs/southernplacement/index.htm
GradSchools.comIf
you are at all interested in exploring further educational
opportunities after your undergraduate experience, GradSchools.com
is the place to start. Please support their site by clicking on
the links on the ResidentAssistant.com website. Each time you
visit using one of those links, it helps to support the costs of
running the site.
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FEATURE
ARTICLE: HELPING
SKILLS FOR RAs
Interview
with Dr. Scott T. Meier and Dr. Susan R.Davis,
authors of "The Elements of Counseling."
Dan
Oltersdorf - ResidentAssistant.com
Working
in Residence Halls has been characterized as being on the
"front lines" of the university or college campus.
Student and professionalstaff
members work with students who are facing a huge variety ofchallenges
and a vast array of emotional and psychological issues.
While RAs are
not professional counselors, they develop relationshipswith their residents, and are consistently called upon
often to be "first responders" to students with issues
that range from homesickness to thoughts of suicide. Their
interactions with residents are characterized by many late night
conversations about significant others, poor grades, friends left
at home, pressure from parents, dealing with sexual assault, any
countless other issues where the RA's box of Kleenex is always on
hand.
The
following is a ResidentAssistant.com interview with Dr. Scott T.
Meier and Dr. Susan R. Davis, authors of "The Elements
of Counseling." In this interview, Dr. Meier and Dr. Davis
emphasize the importance of knowing the difference between the RA
role and a professional counseling role.
:
When dealing with such serious issues, it can be easy for an RA totake
on too much. What are some important distinctions between a
"helper" and a "counselor" that an RA should keep
in mind while helping students?
A: The
most obvious is professional training; counselors generally have amaster's or doctoral degree. In general, the relationships
are differentbetween
helpers and counselors. While a helper can certainly use goodlistening skills, in general the relationship between
client and counseloris
one way in the sense that the purpose of the relationship is
primarilyto help the
client. In addition, the helper generally has listening skillsand advice to offer the helpee; the counselor generally has
a widerrepertoire of
skills.
:
While RAs are not trained counselors, they are called upon to
practicehelping
skills. How can RAs work to improve on these skills to be more
effective in supporting their residents?
A: We'd
suggest that RAs seek some kind of training in listening andommunication skills. Often local agencies or counseling
centers offersuch
training as might some faculty members in departments of
psychology orcounselor.
*Editor's
note: If you feel you need training in any of these helping
skills, speak with your supervisor. They should be able to
provide you with either personal direction or a staff in-service
in areas you feel a need for improvement.
:How does an RA know when it is time to be a "R.eferral
A.gent," andfind
professional support for a student?
A:
As with our first answer, we'd suggest RAs make referrals when
adviceand listening are
not enough to help a particular person. RAs should alsohave some sense of problems such as depression or anxiety,
that althoughcommon in
college students, typically do not intefere with normalfunctioning. Such issues would include missing class, sleep
difficulties,or social
isolation. In addition, we'd recommend that RAs refer or atleast consult whenever a student talks about suicide or
homicide.
*Editor's
note: When working in the residence halls, it is imperative
that you communicate constantly with your supervisor regarding
resident issues, especially issues which could potentially have
to do with a student harming themselves or others. If you aren't
sure what you would do in such a situation, consult your
supervisor.
:
What are some keys to making effective referrals?
Making Referrals:
"We'd
suggest that RAs develop some contacts in agencies
where they might normally make referrals."
A:
We'd
suggest that RAs develop some contacts in agencies where theymight normally make referrals. For example, is there a
person the RA cancontact
at the counseling center? If you make a referral to such anagency, it can be useful (with the client's permission)
to convey relevantinformation
ahead of time to someone there. We'd also recommend that theRA explain to the client why the referral is recommended
and see if theperson
has any questions or concerns about completing the referral.
Finally,
the RA should recognize that in many agencies the issue of clientconfidentiality will preclude the agency from sharing
further informationabout
the client with the RA (including whether the person showed up andreceived services).
Taking
Care of Yourself: "The
main issue for RAs would be to not overdo the helping role. If
the RA is doing so much "helping" that she or he is
not getting enough sleep, exercise, or eating properly, that's a
problem."
:
One of the chapters in your book is entitled "Know
Thyself." As withany
helping role, looking after one's self can be something which isneglected.
What are some things RAs need to remember about "knowingthemselves"
and taking care of themselves as they work in this helpingrole?
A: The
main issue for RAs would be to not overdo the helping role. Ifthe RA is doing so much "helping" that she or he
is not getting enoughsleep,
exercise, or eating properly, that's a problem. RAs should feelthey are getting something out of helping, at least a
feeling ofsatisfaction.
As RAs do their jobs they might also become aware of theirmotivation for helping. For example, are they interested in
helping thestudent help
themselves or are they more interested in rescuing the client?Helping is certainly a good way to learn about yourself.
:
What other advice would you give to RAs as they take on this
important role in our residence halls?
A:
It's certainly a fine line between helping and counseling; haveanother person to consult with about these issues. And use
the experienceto learn
about your vocational interests as well. Are there parts of thejob you like or dislike? That can provide clues about the
types of jobsand careers
RAs would enjoy in the future.
Scott T. Meier
and Susan R. Davis are both licensed psychologists. Dr.Davis
has a full-time private practice and is adjunct clinical professorin
the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at SUNYBuffalo.
Dr. Meier is associate professor and co director of training ofthe
Program in Counseling and School Psychology, also with the
Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at SUNY
Buffalo.
I had my first
exposure to their book, "The Elements of Counseling" as
a result of a graduate class here at Florida State University
called "Intentional Interventions." Courses of this type
are an excellent way to improve on these types of skills, and are
strongly recommended by the Council
for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) for
graduate programs in Higher Education. This book is an excellent
resource forboth
counseling professionals and those working in helping professions.
For more information, or to purchase the book, visit Amazon.com.
Dan
Oltersdorf - Contact
Me
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