C.A.R.E. Team

Campus Assessment Response & Evaluation (C.A.R.E.)

The mission of the multidisciplinary C.A.R.E. Team is to determine if an individual poses a threat to self, others, or the MCC community. The C.A.R.E. Team will then intervene to avert the threat and maintain the safety of the situation. The C.A.R.E. Team is committed to (a) improving the safety of the College community through a proactive, collaborative, coordinated, objective, and thoughtful approach to (b) prevention, identification, assessment, intervention, and management of situations that (c) pose, or may reasonably pose, a threat to the safety and well-being of any individual student or the campus community.

C.A.R.E. connects students, faculty, and staff with appropriate campus resources and maintains contact with the student after the initial crisis and provides additional support as needed.

The purpose of the C.A.R.E. Team is to address situations in which a student may be of harm to self or others:

  • It is the C.A.R.E. Team’s responsibility to evaluate the legitimacy of concerns reported to it. The C.A.R.E. Team will assess the likelihood that an individual may cause harm to himself/herself or others (or pose a significant disruption), be at risk of harm from others, develop strategies for reducing the risk, implement these strategies, and then monitor and re-evaluate the situation to ensure that they have been effective. The assessment of the individual should be fact-based focusing just on the information in the individual case and whether the facts obtained indicate a student may be thinking about or planning harm to self or others. Assessment is a deductive process focusing on what conclusions the facts allow the C.A.R.E. Team to draw.
  • Develop and follow a written process for handling these concerns of harm to self or others. Provide education for the campus community (faculty, staff, students and others) informing them of a process for handling particular concerns
  • Encourage the campus community to look for warning signs and report them. Referring students of concern may be direct (by contacting the appropriate resource) or by submission of a written report thru the C.A.R.E. Team Report form located on the MCC main webpage listed (listed under Faculty & Staff, 'Concern for Students') or by clicking on the "HARM" button below.

HARM

Refer the student here.

The C.A.R.E. Team membership consists of representatives from the following departments/offices:

  • Lizett LaStrape, Director, Counseling Center 299-8181
  • Natalie James, Associate Director, Completion Center 299-8524
  • Clayton Williams, Director, Public Safety/Chief of Police 299-8844
  • Elizabeth Mitchell, Associate Professor, Biology 299-8187

  • Sudden or extreme changes in overall behavior and/or academic performance
  • Absenteeism — especially multiple absences from class
  • Sadness or depression
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Threatening behavior

  • Talk to the student in private and communicate an understanding of the student's concern and for his/her well-being.
  • Try to resolve the problem at the faculty-student or staff-student level.
  • Refer the student to the appropriate resource by direct referral.

Selecting "HARM" below takes you to the correct referral form for a student who is potentially of harm to self or harm to others.

HARM