SEAHO Report - Fall 2019 - 22

SEAHO Feature Articles
and don't attempt to diagnose them in your own way in order to make yourself more comfortable. This
challenge can serve you with an opportunity to understand your own biases, so take that and run with it!
Acknowledge and act on your room for growth; both you and your team will appreciate the outcome.
Give Them What They Need
This aspect of support can exist in many different ways. For me, when I am having what I call an "episode,"
I need time alone to breathe, think, and get some water. For others, this might look like some time outside, a
trip to their medical or psychiatric professional, or even just a quick bathroom break. Whatever the case may
be, creating and fostering spaces where someone can approach you and speak about their needs is a key step in
supporting them. I have been fortunate to work for many wonderful supervisors at every institution at which I
have been employed who have honored my requests and have allowed me to take the time and space I needed to
regroup when an episode occurs, and that support has and always will mean the world to me.
This also falls back into the discussion on language: we, as residence life professionals, are not professional
mental health counselors. If your background is in counseling, your current role is likely not one of a mental
healthcare professional; try to remember that your capacity in the space is not as your staff member's or
student's medical or psychiatric professional. If they ask for advice or direction, know what you're capable
of offering, and be your biggest self-advocate in this scenario and let them know that you cannot provide
professional mental health assistance as their supervisor/colleague. Lead them to other resources, if need be,
but don't attempt to "cure" them in your own way. As simply stated above, give them what they need. In more
detailed terms, give them what they need, as requested by them, without attempting to "fix" them.
Strategize ways in which your office might be able to offer support, or direct folks towards professional help at
your institution should you become the first person with whom they share their story. Again, without playing
doctor, familiarize yourself with campus and community resources that might be readily available.
Be Supportive, Understanding, and, Above All Else, Be Kind.
Based on my experience living with mental illness in a field of work that focuses so much on engagement,
know that some of us will just need a minute; some of us just need some space. Understand and navigate what
kind of support you can offer, and be transparent about how you and your team hope to implement said support
initiatives as a department. Perhaps revisit your work attendance and absence policies and see if you are able
to incorporate personal days, mental health days, and/or flex time into staff members' time off requests so that
they can practice the self-care they need to, or so that they may follow whatever professional advice they have
received that cannot be incorporated into their daily office routine. This could also apply to those experiencing
secondary trauma after a particularly tough duty night!
Someone living with a mental illness fights their own internal battles every day. Your warm smile or words
of affirmation could be the factor that turns their day around. Your kindness, however that shows up and is
expressed for and by you, can mean the world to someone having an especially rough day.
Just One Minute
In my journey with my internal struggles, I have experienced, and still face, times when it is often impossible
to get out of bed. Sometimes, it is hard to keep my eyes open at work, and it is hard to sit up and be attentive in
meetings. In some of those same instances, I don't have the energy to cry, or to talk. Often, I just need a minute.
Chances are that someone on your staff, or maybe even you, also needs just that one minute.

SEAHO Report Fall 2019

SEAHO Report - Fall 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Fall 2019