Please excuse the cross posting......
One in four college students grew up with a parent who used alcohol or
other drugs. Today is the beginning of National Children of Alcoholics
Week. Attached is the third installment of several facts sheets that
Facts on Tap has developed to help professionals working with this
special population on campus - Crisis Intervention Coming the rest of
the week... Protective Factors, and Resiliency.
These facts sheets can also be found on our web site at
www.factsontap.org. As always, we are here to support your efforts on
campus. We'd love to hear feedback on this initiative. Let us know if
you find these helpful!
Crisis Intervention with Children of Alcoholics
When a child of an alcoholic faces a crisis related to his or parent's
drinking problem, you need to be prepared. While most children of
alcoholics have faced crises before - illness, accidents, episodes of
violence - it is still unsettling, and disruptive to the often fragile
homeostasis they have created. When a COA is at college he or she faces
a whole different set of issues related to being out of the home - like
guilt, anxiety, and fear - that interfere with their life on campus.
What can you do?
* Be prepared. Know in advance what kind of resources are
available on your campus and in your community in general, including
community-based counseling programs, treatment programs, and specialized
services for children of alcoholics. Know your school's protocol and
procedure for handling a crisis.
* Encourage the student to think through his or her resiliencies.
How has the student responded to similar situations? What about less
intense situations that required similar skills? Help the student
identify his or her strengths so that they can be called into play again
now.
* Help the student think through all the needs that have been
created through this crisis. Are there financial issues?
Transportation concerns? Child care for siblings at home? If the
family is involved with a social service or child welfare agency, make
contact with the case worker so that you can provide a maximum level of
support to the student.
* Try to avoid asking any questions or saying anything that a
student might interpret as a sign of disbelief. Ask only non-directive
and non-accusatory questions to obtain more information. Then let the
student know there is help available, and that you will do whatever you
can to protect him from harm.
* Encourage the student to think about other family or friends who
might serve as resources. You might want to work with the student to
think through resources to support any younger siblings, as well.
* Ask if the student would like you to speak with counselors,
coaches, professors, or resident assistants, etc. to explain the
situation, so that performance expectations can be adjusted during this
crisis period.
* Reiterate that the crisis situation is not the student's fault.
Wishful thinking did not make this happen, and the parent's drinking
problem is in no way related to anything he or she has done.
2003
Children of Alcoholics Foundation
An affiliate of the Phoenix House Foundation
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