Is your campus safe?

In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting and other campus violence, schools throughout the country have developed "campus teams" to identify troubled students who may need mental health care. But how should these teams organize their structure, scope, functions and day-to-day operations?

A new free guide offers help. "Balancing Safety and Support on Campus: A Guide for Campus Teams" summarizes the literature on campus teams and suggests key issues that schools should consider when creating them.

The guide was produced by the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA), whose members are APA (including representation from Education Government Relations and Div. 17, the Society of Counseling Psychology), the American College Health Association, the American College Personnel Association, the American College Counseling Association, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors, the American Psychiatric Association and the Jed Foundation, a national organization that works to reduce emotional distress and prevent suicide among college students.

"This guide provides information for both existing and new teams and will facilitate decisions about their structure, scope, functions and day-to-day operations," says APA member Traci Callandrillo, PhD, this year's HEMHA chair.