How do I refer a student to CAS? You can encourage students to call us at 225-216-8643 to discuss the registration process for services or use our online referral form to submit a referral.

Counseling is frequently linked to serious issues or challenges. Counseling & Accessibility Services (CAS) responsibility is to assist students in need, but we also place a strong emphasis on growth, prevention, and psychological wellbeing. Students occasionally could have trouble handling situations and you could encounter students who exhibit behaviors that vary from being moderately upset to being overtly disruptive.

In many cases you will be able to respond effectively to the student's needs. However, there may be situations when you require more assistance and need CAS to respond or provide advice on how you may assist the student.

Identifying a Student in Distress

It is important to know that students often seek guidance from those who are most available to them - faculty and/or staff. However, sometimes students do not seek guidance because they are afraid or ashamed. Below are some guidelines for identifying students in distress:

Academic Indicators

  • repeated absences
  • missed assignments, exams, or appointments
  • deterioration in quality or quantity of work
  • extreme disorganization or quantity of work
  • continual seeking of special provisions (extensions on papers, make-up exams)
  • patterns of perfectionism (eg, can't accept themselves if they don't get an A+)
  • overblown or disproportionate response to grades or other evaluations

Behavioral and Emotional Indicators

  • direct statements indicating distress, family problems, or loss
  • seems frequently tired or sleeping during class
  • angry or hostile outbursts, yelling, or aggressive comments
  • more withdrawn or more animated than usual
  • expressions of hopelessness or worthlessness; crying or tearfulness
  • expressions of severe anxiety or irritability
  • excessively demanding or dependent behavior
  • lack of response to outreach from course staff

Here are some particulars to think about:

  • Talk in a quiet, private area away from others.
  • If you have noticed overt changes in the student's behavior, attendance, appearance, hygiene, approach the subject by highlighting your observation and conveying concern and willingness to help. For example, you might say, "I've noticed that you haven't looked well the past few weeks. I am wondering if you are having any difficulties keeping up in school. I am wondering if I can help in any way."
  • Emphasize the fact that it takes considerable courage to acknowledge and face one’s difficulties.
  • Faculty/Staff need to maintain appropriate boundaries so that they do not learn or solicit more information than is necessary to make an appropriate suggestion to seek mental health services. Often, students in distress exhibit inappropriate or excessive help-seeking behavior that can be deleterious to the faculty-student relationship.
  • If you feel that stress or psychological functioning may be impacting the student, make them aware that CAS offers no-cost services to students. Many students remain unaware that counseling/accessibility services are available to them.

The decision to seek counseling is always personal. If the student disagrees with your recommendation and/or declines to get help, and you still feel uneasy about the situation, contact CAS for a consultation appointment to discuss your concerns. Whether or not the student indicates a desire to get in touch with CAS, it is a good idea to check in with them later. CAS cannot reveal a student's participation in services due to confidentiality; however, the student is free to disclose such information to others if they so choose.

CAS is open during regular service hours as designated by the college. Hours of operation are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The office observes holiday and vacation days as designated by the college.

Any currently enrolled BRCC student in need of personal, educational, or crisis intervention is eligible for counseling services. We offer a range of services including:

  • Individual counseling
  • Group counseling
  • Couples/Family counseling
  • Support groups
  • Referrals

Appointments can be made by completing the consent for treatment or using our online referral form to request counseling services.

Although everyone experiences stress, anxiety, and depression to some degree, it might be time to seek professional help when you experience symptoms that lead to:

  • Withdrawal from activities and isolating from others
  • Using substances to cope
  • No longer enjoying activities
  • Changes or disruptions in sleep or appetite
  • Experienced/Witnessed trauma
  • Difficulty regulating emotions
  • Suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors
  • Struggling to build and maintain relationships
  • Inability to work or go to school or not performing effectively

If you or someone you know is in need of counseling and/or accessibility services, please complete the online referral form.

Mental Health Tips

  • Get connected. Building strong, positive relationships with loved ones, friends, and a social support system can provide you with needed support and acceptance in good and bad times.
  • Make every day meaningful. Do something that gives you a sense of accomplishment and purpose every day. Set goals to help you look toward the future with meaning.
  • Remain hopeful. You can't change the past, but you can always look toward the future. Accepting and even anticipating change makes it easier to adapt and view new challenges with less anxiety.
  • Be proactive. Don't ignore your problems. Instead, figure out what needs to be done, make a plan, and take action. Although it can take time to recover from a major setback, traumatic event or loss, know that your situation can improve if you work at it.
  • Learn from experience. Think of how you've coped with hardships in the past. Consider the skills and strategies that helped you through difficult times. You might even write about past experiences in a journal to help you identify positive and negative behavior patterns — and guide your future behavior.
  • Take care of yourself. Tend to your own needs and feelings. Participate in activities and hobbies you enjoy. Include physical activity in your daily routine. Get plenty of sleep. Eat a healthy diet. Practice stress management and relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation, guided imagery, deep breathing or prayer.
  • Give yourself a break from media. When a national or world event is dominating the news, avoid over-exposure to media, especially if it is making you feel ineffective, anxious, or unable to have control of your life. Many media-worthy events can be presented in an exaggerated or false manner to attract attention. Unplug for part of each day from all your sources of media and news.
  • Reframe a difficult experience. Reframing means changing the way you think or “talk” to yourself about a stressful event. Instead of saying “I will never get through this,” you might try a more positive and realistic thought such as, “I will get through this by using the techniques that have helped when I’ve had difficult experiences in the past, including asking others for help and finding strength in my community.”

Domestic Violence

Recognizing the warning signs and symptoms of abuse is the first step, but taking action is the most important step in breaking free. Feeling uncomfortable or being afraid in your relationship is the number 1 red flag that your relationship is not healthy. Estimates are that 1 out of 4 women will experience an abusive relationship and there are often many early, detectable warning signs.

The following list can help you determine whether you or someone you care about is involved in an abusive relationship. Not all of these characteristics need to be present for a relationship to be abusive, and characteristics by themselves do not necessarily indicate abuse. A relationship may be abusive if your partner:

  • Feels he/she has the right to dictate your behavior, privileges, or responses and opinions
  • Demonstrates ownership of you or extreme possessiveness; says things like “I can’t live without you,” or “You are my whole world.”
  • Blames you for her/his problems or behavior
  • Isolates you – doesn’t allow you to see your family or friends
  • Needs to constantly know your whereabouts; expects you to spend all of your free time with him/her
  • Humiliates you in public
  • Forces you to have sex or perform sexual acts
  • Insists on controlling all of the money, both yours and his/hers
  • Has no regard for your physical or mental health
  • Criticizes your appearance, weight, clothes, etc.
  • Pressures you to live together or get married before you are ready
  • Angers easily
  • Becomes angry when you have a different opinion than he/she does or don’t take his/her advice
  • Shows jealousy toward your children, family, friends or job
  • Suggests reasons for you to fear ending the relationship
  • Dual personality (Jekyll and Hyde), i.e., charming in public, aggressive in private
  • Displays violent behavior toward other people
  • Disregards the law; feels he/she is above the law
  • Blames all past relationship problems on the ex-partner
  • Has a record or history of domestic violence

Get Immediate Help in a Crisis

  • 911 or Nearest Emergency Room
  • Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org - Offers 24/7 call, text, and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal thoughts, substance use, and/or a mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
  • Veteran’s Crisis Line 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text: 8388255

Helpful Links

General Mental Health Issues

Suicide

Substance Abuse

PTSD for Veterans

LGBTQ

Eat well! Be active! Stop smoking today! Visit www.WellAheadLA.com for resources on living Well-Ahead and to see how your work place, school, day care center, restaurant or hospital can become a WellSpot! (http://www.quitwithusla.org/)

Domestic Violence

Louisiana Coalition Against DV (1.888.411.1333)

Iris Domestic Violence Center (225.389.3001)

National Network to End DV (http://nnedv.org/)

LA Foundation Against Sexual Assault (www.lafasa.org)

Battered Women’s Justice Project (http://www.bwjp.org/)

National Online Resource Center (http://www.vawnet.org/)