The idea that excites me the most about being a returner is getting to know a new housing staff. The late night chats during Fall training; that first set of rounds where you get to go through and see what everyone came up with for their hall decorations; the first weekend duty where everyone congregates into the office for the night. Getting to know my Lower Quad staff this year came all at once - it wasn’t a slow process like I anticipated it to be. By the fourth night of training I was having conversations with my coworkers that it would otherwise take me years to bring up. While these bonds will remain after the year is over, many of us will graduate, or find ourselves in other roles, meaning that we will have the opportunity to make those
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Leave your door open, keep your room clean and inviting, and make your residents feel welcome. Go to other programs within the community, and invite your residents to do the same. Take time for yourself when necessary, and never let yourself get burned out with the responsibilities of the role. I considered myself successful of community immersion when I found my residents discussing things with me not as their RA, but as a friend they felt comfortable talking to. At that point, they no longer felt like there was a disconnect between us, or that I was doing these sorts of things out of obligation, but rather because I genuinely wanted …show more content…
The sheer notion of facing that situation head-on seemed overwhelming to me. However, those fears soon subsided once the semester started. Now, I find myself comfortable with most aspects of crisis management, and I have never encountered a crisis situation where I felt unprepared.
I’ll say that I have never dealt with a mental health situation, neither with my residents nor as a call while I was on duty. I'm as comfortable with dealing with that as I’m capable of, given that I have yet to experience the situation firsthand. However, I am trained through Safe Zone, ReTHINK, and Haven, so I have the toolkit necessary for these scenarios. As a returner, having a strong sense of crisis management will be useful - not only in dealing with situations I’m called to, but also in supporting newcomers who may feel apprehensive, just as I did.
Leave your door open, keep your room clean and inviting, and make your residents feel welcome. Go to other programs within the community, and invite your residents to do the same. Take time for yourself when necessary, and never let yourself get burned out with the responsibilities of the role. I considered myself successful of community immersion when I found my residents discussing things with me not as their RA, but as a friend they felt comfortable talking to. At that point, they no longer felt like there was a disconnect between us, or that I was doing these sorts of things out of obligation, but rather because I genuinely wanted …show more content…
The sheer notion of facing that situation head-on seemed overwhelming to me. However, those fears soon subsided once the semester started. Now, I find myself comfortable with most aspects of crisis management, and I have never encountered a crisis situation where I felt unprepared.
I’ll say that I have never dealt with a mental health situation, neither with my residents nor as a call while I was on duty. I'm as comfortable with dealing with that as I’m capable of, given that I have yet to experience the situation firsthand. However, I am trained through Safe Zone, ReTHINK, and Haven, so I have the toolkit necessary for these scenarios. As a returner, having a strong sense of crisis management will be useful - not only in dealing with situations I’m called to, but also in supporting newcomers who may feel apprehensive, just as I did.