Distress, anxiety, depression and other emotional issues don’t follow a 9-to-5 business schedule.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) recently launched a new service that allows students to speak with a counselor at any time, any day and receive crisis counseling support over the phone. The 24-hour hotline is available to all students, as well as faculty and staff who are concerned about a student.
The hotline number is (909) 869-3220, then press 2.
CAPS also added Dr. Diane Shelton to its team of psychologists and counselors. As the crisis and case management coordinator, she will support and follow up with students who experience mental health crises. In addition, Student Health Services added psychiatrist Dr. David Block to its staff, and he will provide mental health care and patient education.
With the shootings on college campuses at Virginia Tech and University of Texas, as well as the Tucson shooting in January, mental health issues and care have come to the forefront in the media.
PolyCARES, a team of experts at the university, is working to ensure that students, faculty and staff have somewhere to turn when a member of the campus community poses a risk to himself or others, or when someone senses that a friend or associate is in distress.
Sometimes the signs of distress are clear. Other times they are hidden in an off-the-cuff remark, a flagging interest, a growing anxiety. Either way, the worst thing to do about depression, aggression, bubbling rage and other emotional issues is to ignore them.
Experts say that taking the first step — alerting someone in a position to do something — is the most important.
“Don’t assume you’re overreacting,” says Michele Willingham, director of Counseling & Psychological Services and a PolyCARES team member. “Let us determine whether your concern is founded.”
People can make anonymous tips to the PolyCARES team by leaving a voice mail message at (909) 869-3399, a number that does not record caller ID. They may also email broncosafe@cpp.edu.
Those who need to talk to a professional counselor can visit CAPS in the Bronco Bookstore, room 116, or by calling (909) 869-3220.