On January 14, Linda Abbott from the National Association for Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment (NABITA) provided a training session on supporting our students through various levels of crises. A total of 180 faculty, staff, and administrators attended the workshop, demonstrating the IUP community’s commitment to addressing mental health and crisis response across all divisions and areas.
The feedback we received from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, stressing the value and impact of the training for their work. In addition, many participants told us that they shared notes and workshop content with their colleagues, further broadening the program’s reach.
The training focused on sensitive topics, including mental health, suicidality, concerning behaviors, and crisis responses. Abbott acknowledged the challenging nature of these discussions, and he commended attendees for their active engagement and willingness to learn how to better help students facing these challenges, as well as supporting each other.
Participant feedback also included attendees sharing requests for additional training opportunities; a recurring theme in the feedback was a request for institution-specific training on processes and practices, including sessions with members of the Care Team.
A team of individuals from across the institution are working together to plan further opportunities to engage these difficult topics and equip IUP employees to respond to the needs of our students.
If you are interested in participating in future training on the topic of mental and behavioral health and how to provide support for our students, please contact Adam Jones, dean of Students, at adjones@iup.edu.
More information about upcoming programming will be announced as details are finalized.