Home › Services Offered › Crisis Response Model

University of Guelph Crisis Response Model

The University of Guelph has two distinct Committees or teams to respond to Crisis situations. As a community with over twenty thousand students and a large number of faculty and staff, the University is subject to a large number of crisis situations. When a crisis involves a major emergency/disaster or when an incident has the potential to interrupt the normal activities of the University for an extended period of time then the Emergency Management Team is activated.  Some crisis may be systemic, in that they affect the whole community. 

The University's Complete Emergency Response Plan can be found at: 

University of Guelph Emergency Response plan

If the crisis involves a student, the Crisis Management Team is activated.

Crisis Management Team

The Crisis Management Team of the University of Guelph is a group of professional staff who are responsible for responding coordinating and implementing a plan of action to deal with students who are experiencing severe emotional, psychological and personal issues which significantly affects their everyday  life and functioning including their ability to maintain their academic studies.

Definition of Crisis

The Crisis Management Team recognizes that an emotional, psychological and personal crisis is a very subjective one but generally it is a situation in which the student experiences intense and significant personal difficulty.

Signs that an individual is in crisis include:

  • Severe impact of academic performance.
  • Unusual behaviour or exhibiting a notable change in behavior.
  • Serious problems or losses in relationships
  • Personal presentation that is characterized as distraught, confused or disoriented
  • Behaviour that is threatening to self or others including suicidal ideation and attempts
  • Disruption in class or living environment
  • Alcohol or Drug abuse

Certain events can trigger a crisis for a student or put them "at risk." These include the loss of significant relationships, unexpected traumatic experiences, academic stressors, family pressures and expectations. Many students enter university with mental health issues and these students can be more affected by the university experience and be in a state of personal crisis. The university further recognizes that all situations that are perceived as a crisis by a student require an immediate and comprehensive response by the university.

A crisis situation can have serious implications and consequences that must be considered in determining the severity of the crisis and the nature of the response.These include situations that are:

  • Life threatening for the individual.
  • A threat of serious injury or potential danger to someone in the community.
  • A potential legal liability or other unique feature which deems the incident volatile.

Crisis Management Team Membership

The Crisis Management Team consists of professional staff from the following Departments:

The chair of the team will be the Director of Counselling Services

Accessing the Crisis Management Team

In the event of a crisis, any of the above services can be contacted. In most cases the appropriate individual will be the director of the department. Depending on the severity, nature and impact of the crisis, a meeting will be convened of all the appropriate services to address and resolve the crisis. When appropriate the Associate Vice-President (Student Affairs) will be informed and consulted.

In many cases the response to the crisis will be managed primarily by Counselling Services and Student Health Services. Because of the great number of students in residence, Housing Services will often be involved

Functions of the Crisis Management Team

The Crisis Management Team has three primary functions:

  1. To provide a sensitive and coordinated response to people personally impacted by the event and to devise a course of action to respond to the crisis. This plan will include the identification of appropriate services and staff and a response that is immediate and comprehensive. 
  2. Insure that there is an accurate and efficient flow of information to all individuals involved. This includes those individuals (faculty staff, students and family) who are impacted by the crisis. This will be done in a sensitive and professional manner that considers issues of confidentiality and privacy. The team reviews and debriefs the situation with all the individuals involved to ensure the crisis response is effective. 
  3. Provide ongoing education and awareness about Crisis Intervention to the university community in the form of literature, workshops and presentations.

The full team will meet on a semester basis to review educational initiatives that would be helpful to the university population and identify general issues of concern related to crisis intervention and mental health. Counselling Services and Health Services are prepared to offer specific interventions in the aftermath of a crisis event. These include

Group Debriefing

Debriefing entails a group meeting where trained counsellors assist those involved in a critical incident to talk about their thoughts, actions and reactions to an event. Its purpose is to provide a structures group setting in which people can learn about the normally expected behaviors, thoughts and feelings that follow a stressful event. It is also an opportunity for participants to learn ways to manage stress symptoms and to realize that they are not alone in experiencing stress reactions. Debriefing sessions are scheduled in a convenient location on campus and can be held immediately after the event or a day or two later. Participation in a debriefing session is strictly voluntary and confidentiality will be maintained.

Individual Debriefing & Counselling:

By working with a counsellor/therapist you can debrief the personal impact of the crisis. Putting the emotional, physical, and intellectual pieces together in a therapeutic setting can help you recover more quickly so that you can focus on the priorities that brought you to University.

In the event of a crisis, the director of any of the above services can be contacted and will initiate a response. A meeting will be convened of all the appropriate services to address and resolve the crisis. The Associate Vice-President (Student Affairs) will be informed and consulted on the situation.

After hours, evenings, weekends and holidays, the following can be contacted:

Emergency Poles

There are 26 outdoor Emergency Call Station locations on campus. Just push the button and campus police will respond immediately.

Emergency Phones 

All pay phones on campus are equipped with a special button. Just push the button marked "University of Guelph Police" and campus security will respond immediately.

 Confidentiality of Information

The University of Guelph is governed by both the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, more commonly referred to as FIPPA, and the Personal Health Information Protection Act,or PHIPA. Both FIPPA and PHIPA stipulate that personal information about individuals may not be disclosed to persons outside the university community without the consent of the individual.
However, both FIPPA and PHIPA allow the Crisis Management Team to make decisions to disclose and share student’s personal information in certain emergency situations in which an individual or group poses a reasonable threat to inflict serious harm on themselves or others. This information will be shared in a sensitive and appropriate manner.

 

 

 

 

 

 


University of Guelph
50 Stone Road East
Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
Canada
519-824-4120