An analysis of entry level student affairs professionals' ability to identify, aid, and refer students with suicidal ideation
The author considered a growing culture of compliance, limited resources to address regulatory requirements, and a trend of increasing mental health concerns among college students. Over the last 30 years, the number and type of regulatory requirements on Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) has increased and a culture of compliance is developing throughout Higher Education. Additionally, the number and severity of college student mental health needs have increased over the past two decades. The increasing number of mental health concerns on college and university campuses has not been matched with additional resources. During the corresponding time, Student Affairs preparatory programs have become increasingly focused on administrative and compliance issues. The resulting gap in service has been filled by untrained staff members who are likely to serve in roles that most commonly have direct contact with students. These are disproportionately members of functions that historically report to Student Affairs divisions (Protvnik, 2013). The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the ability of entry-level professionals to identify, aid, and refer students with suicidal ideation. The hypothesized variables did not provide significant correlations to increasing intervention skill but a resulting analysis of the counseling cluster suggested that additional training correlates strongly with number of interventions. While the findings did not indicate any specific variable that increased the intervention ability, the implications for practice center on development of departmental and institutional training intended to increase the intervention ability. Casting a light on this specific training need can help the Student Affairs profession enhance the offerings that serve this need and may be a matter of life and death.
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