What can you do to help?

Responses to Distressed and Disturbed Behaviors:

  • Talk to the person in private
  • Consult with a Richland College Personal Counselor
  • Listen to the individual and express your concern in a non-judgmental way
  • Know your own limits. Don’t get more involved in the person’s life than is comfortable or appropriate for you. (e.g. determine the length of the conversation, when and where it will take place, and what resources you can use)
  • Ask if the person is considering suicide. See responding to suicidal concerns below
  • Identify options for the person; for example, a referral to the Counseling Center.
  • Make a report to the CARE Team

Responses to Dysregulation:

  • If the crisis is life-threatening or if the individual’s behavior is extreme, call 911 from a college extension or 972-860-4290 from a cell phone and convey to the dispatcher that this is a life-threatening situation and you need immediate assistance.
    • If others are present, ask them to step away
    • Be calm, clear and observant
    • After the situation has been resolved, please notify RLC CARE Team by submitting a referral form, so that a follow-up can be initiated.
  • If you feel threatened or intimidated, then call 911 from a college extension or 972-860-4290 from a cell phone and convey to the dispatcher that you need help immediately. Determine if you feel safe. If you feel unsafe, then leave the area. Remain in an open area, preferably with an exit door near you.
    • Do wait for assistance
    • Do keep a safe distance, and don’t move toward the person
    • Do not attempt an intervention. Intervening at this point may trigger physical acting out behavior and jeopardize your safety and the safety of others around you
    • Do not get in a power struggle, make false promises, threaten or use jargon
    • Do remain calm, enforce the limits, listen, be aware of non-verbal behavior and be consistent
    • After the situation has been resolved, please notify RLC CARE Team by submitting a referral form, so that a follow-up can be initiated.
  • Situations such as these can have an impact on you. If you would like to talk to a mental health professional about what happened, please call 972-238-3771 or 972-238-3777 and ask to speak with one of the counselors
  • If the situation happened in the classroom, after the situation is resolved, you can request that one of the college counselors come and talk with the class about the situation