After a Crisis

While college campuses are places for growth, learning, community, and fun, over the past few years it has become increasingly evident that college life may also include loss, trauma, and violence. Whether it be a natural disaster, accident, or human act, it is often difficult to cope with tragedy.

Resources

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is a well-known approach to addressing the psychological impact of a tragedy and is the method of choice implemented by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

The IUPUI Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team is available to provide immediate and short term support to meet the emotional and psychological needs of individuals in the IUPUI Community impacted by a traumatic event.

The goal is to assist individuals in coping with the stress and identifying the skills needed to move forward in a healthy way. The specific type of support will be tailored to address your specific needs or concerns.

For more information, contact Jerry Baker at jwbaker@iupui.edu or (317) 274-2058; Diane Sweeney at dsweeney@iupui.edu or (317) 274-2058); or Julie Lash at jlash@iupui.edu or (317) 274-2548.

Information

• Coping and Surviving Violent and Traumatic Events
• Coping with a Traumatic Event
• Coping with Traumatic Events
• Coping with Traumatic Events — SAMHSA Resources
• Parents & Educators Guide to Trauma
• Managing Your Distress During Disasters
• Traumatic Events

Some might believe that individuals with mental illness are often the perpetrators of violence. This is NOT the case. Studies show that people with mental illness are no more violent than people in general. In fact, people with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violent acts than the general population. For more information, see:

• Violence and Mental Illness
• Mental Illness and Violence: A Link?
• Violence and Mental Illness: The Facts
• Association Between Violence, Mental Illness Disputed