Why this is important: Preparing for a crisis before it happens reduces confusion for case managers and allows them to respond to an emergency event quickly and effectively. In extreme cases, a student they are working with may have mental illness symptoms, such as making threats, feeling suicidal, or being unable to care for themselves, that require a hospitalization process. Case managers should be aware of the general process of hospitalization as well as specific processes that occur in their town and state to reduce the potential for harm, legal risk liability, and overall community impact/crisis. 
 
Description: This micro-learning course provides a research-based approach to understanding the behaviors that can lead up to a psychiatric hospitalization and how case managers are able to play an integral part in the process to reduce harm to the student, communicate with emergency service personal, and better control the community reaction through adopting a calm, confident and controlled stance. Examples of common hospitalization pitfalls and problems that may occur in the campus community will be offered with clear advice on how to better communicate and mange this process. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of communication with housing, emergency services, law enforcement, and the multidisciplinary behavioral intervention team to ensure proper follow up, handling of acute needs, and clear documentation. 
 
Case managers will be able to:
Review common aspects to a psychiatric hospitalizations and have a clear plan and process to handle such an emergency, reduce harm to the student and offer support and calming to the larger campus community
Identify specific areas to be addressed related to next of kin/guardian notification, environmental safety (pets, oven, heating/air, plants, parking) and communicating with treatment providers and the multidisciplinary behavioral intervention team
Create clear and timely documentation around the crisis event and share it with the appropriate administrative staff
Understand the importance of aftercare and what to look for in terms of risk factors following a hospitalization
 
This course can also be purchased as part of the Crisis Bundle.
 
Please note, these trainings are designed for counselors working on a college campus providing crisis support and guidance to students. They are often referred to as non-clinical counselors or counselors who work under FERPA rather than state confidently laws.