The UNK’s CARE Team is a group of professionals from across the campus that receives referrals on students of concern, collects additional information, and identifies and enacts appropriate strategies for addressing the concerns.
Purpose The purpose of the team is to provide a confidential means for early intervention of at-risk students through collaboration with campus departments, faculty, and staff.
Responsibility The CARE Team is not meant to be the sole mechanism of communication and will not take the place of services provided by Student Health and Counseling, Student Conduct Office, University Police, or other established student services.
Recognizing crisis warning signs
A person at risk, or in a crisis, is no longer coping effectively. As his or her emotions intensify, coping becomes less effective until the person becomes disoriented, nonfunctional, or attempts harm to self or others. A student in a serious mental health crisis may be:
Extremely anxious, resulting in panic reactions
Making suicidal statements or attempting to harm himself
Highly disruptive (hostile, aggressive, violent)
Unable to communicate (garbled or slurred speech, disjointed thoughts)
Appearing to lose touch with reality (seeing or hearing things that aren't there, expressing beliefs or actions at odds with reality)
Taking action
If you believe there may be imminent danger of harm to a student or someone else, call Police and Parking Services at 308-865-8911, or 911. If you aren't sure, call Student Health and Counseling at 308-865-8248 or Student Affairs at 308-865-8528 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Click on the link, referral form to email the CARE Team directly and privately, if the situation is not an immediate crisis.
Distress signs
Distress can be exhibited without a student being in a serious crisis.
A student may be in distress if:
Quality of their work is deteriorating; missing assignments, attendance or appointments
Writes on themes of hopelessness, social isolations, rage, or despair, or making threats
He is disruptive or monopolizing classroom time; her patterns of interaction change
Is demonstrating anxiety, panic; irritability or aggressive behavior
Shows apathy, lack of energy, a change in sleeping or eating habits, or dramatic weight gain or loss; marked changes in hygiene, work habits, or social behavior
Makes statements about suicide or having suicidal thoughts
Voices bizarre ideas, seemingly at odds with the reality of the situation
Using alcohol or other drugs excessively
Others express concerns
Start a conversation
A person who is distressed often wants help, but doesn't know how to ask. Express your concern in a caring, nonjudgmental way. It is possible that just a few minutes of effective listening on your part may be enough to help the student feel comfortable about what to do next
Find a private (not secluded), comfortable place to talk. Give the student your undivided attention.
Ask if the student has ever talked about this problem with anyone else.
Express your concern using statements like, “I’m concerned that….”
Ask open-ended questions. The student may not answer, but may feel relieved to know you are trying to understand.
You don’t need to find the solution. Just listening can be helpful.
Suggest that the student get more help. Point out the resources at UNK to the student, listed in the Referral section.
Report the conversation to the CARE Team.
Alert your supervisor of the situation.
If you believe there may be imminent danger of harm to a student or someone else, immediately call UNK Police Department at 308-865-8911. If you need assistance assessing the situation, please call Student Health and Counseling at 308-865-8248 or Student Affairs at 308-865-8528 between the hours of 8am and 5pm.
Anyone can make a CARE Team referral by visiting the care referral form. You may also reach out directly to any CARE Team member. When reporting a student of concern, please provide as much detail as possible. This can include, but is not limited to:
Student, faculty or staff member’s name and ID number (if known).
Factual description of the incident or behavior.
Direct quotes whenever possible.
Where and when the incident or behavior occurred.
Names and contact information of witnesses.
Your name, position and complete contact information.
Include all emails or other information you have.
Always upload voice recordings, text messages and emails to report.
If information shared includes a possible violation of Title IX, the reporter is still obligated to report the information to the Title IX Coordinator. Learn more about Title IX.
Privacy laws do not prevent you from reaching out to express your concern about a student in distress.
The CARE Team is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of university personnel representing a variety of campus departments. Membership is based on position. Those selected have experience in: law enforcement, threat assessment, medical and mental health, human resources, university operations and student affairs. Depending on the circumstances of the CARE referral, other members of the campus community may be asked to consult with the CARE Team. A collaborative process to assess threats and concerns is used.
