Students at Mason are likely to have a variety of responses to the uncertainty of terrorism and war. For some students this is an unfamiliar situation. They have never had to deal with these conflicts and may feel anxious and out-of-control. Other students may have directly experienced war or terrorism here or in another part of the world. For these students, the current threats may bring new feelings, as well as, revive reactions to past experiences.

While we are all being affected in some way with these threats, many students who have family and friends living overseas may find it difficult to concentrate and manage school and other responsibilities. Other students, with family and friends who have been called upon to participate in a war, may also experience similar difficulties. In general, we can expect that anxiety, as well as other feelings, will be higher for students, even though they may not attribute it directly to the threat of war or terrorism.

In this time, it is helpful to be observant of how students are doing. Are you seeing changes from how they usually function. Perhaps they are withdrawing from activities or friends, not attending classes or work, not getting schoolwork done or performing at a lower level, having difficulty in their relationships with peers. Students who have difficulties on a more on-going basis may be particularly vulnerable to changes and increased difficulty in functioning during these times.

Some Steps That You Can Take When You Are Concerned About a Student

• Encourage the student to talk about how he/she is handling responsibilities and other parts of his/her life. Give the student support to have a variety of feelings and reactions.

• Help the student to identify strategies that have been effective in the past for managing difficult and uncertain situations.

• Help the student to apply some brief relaxation skills such as deep breathing, listening to a relaxation tape, taking a break from routines and reducing known stressors.

• If you are concerned that the student is having a difficult time carrying on with his/her life on a regular basis or that feelings of helplessness, depression, anxiety or anger are getting in the way, encourage the student to make an appointment at Counseling and Psychological Services for a confidential consultation. Students can call for an appointment (703-993-2380) or walk-in to SUBI, Room 364.

• Take some extra time to contact and talk with the student.

• Strategize with the student to get to a better place. Some strategies include talking with others, setting small goals for getting work done, exercising, eating well, getting sufficient rest, maintaining a routine and avoiding overexposure to anxiety-producing media.

• If you are concerned for a student's ability to maintain safety for him/herself or others, call Counseling and Psychological Services for a consultation on how to proceed. If the CAPS is closed and you feel the situation requires an immediate response, call University Police at 703-993-2810. For life-threatening emergencies call 911 on or off-campus.

Attend to Your Own Personal Needs

It would be easy to put significant time and energy into helping students without taking time to assess how we are doing personally. The possibility of war and terrorism will have an impact on each of us. It is important to take some time to look at how we are doing in handling these stresses. Are we recognizing our own limits and taking steps to reduce cumulative stress and reenergize ourselves? Are there strategies we recommend to students that we can use for ourselves?