Managing concerning behaviours

The University of Western Sydney (UWS) aims to provide a safe, supportive and healthy environment for students and staff. This is a shared responsibility for all members of the UWS community. However, from time to time, staff may have contact with a person who displays behaviours which cause some concern.

Examples of concerning behaviours

Concerning behaviours can be those which are inconsistent, confused or unusual. You may also notice that the behaviour is out of character or context and the person may not be able to explain their decision making processes.

A person’s speech content and the way that they speak may draw your attention in some way. Their thoughts and speed of thinking may seem unusual or different and they may frequently change topics. Energy and daily motivation levels may change. You may notice your relationship with the person becomes more distant or intense.

What to do when responding to concerning behaviour

Listen to your own intuition or cues
Try to offer the person a quiet space and reduce the level of stimulation in the environment
Try to avoid crowding the person. Where possible ensure the same person communicates with the individual
Discuss the individual’s issues of concern and stress levels. Ask what they would like or need
Listen non-judgementally and do not offer off-hand advice. Try to avoid agreeing with beliefs or thoughts that seem out of context
Speak calmly, clearly and in short sentences. Try to help the person focus
Ask if they have any existing support. Facilitate additional support if possible
Before suggesting treatment options to the person, seek advice from the Counselling Service or Mental Health Coordinator
Always alert your Head of School/Manager/Supervisor to any behaviour that is causing you concern
Keep a record of any incidents, including time, date, what occurred, outcomes, and provide a copy of this to your Head of School/Manager
If you have any concerns for the safety of the person or others which are urgent or require immediate assistance contact Security on (02) 4736 0300 or extension #2300

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Strategies for dealing with concerning behaviour

The DEFUSE principle can be used when communicating with people with concerning behaviours:

Do stay calm
Establish some ground rules
Focus on positive outcomes
Uncover what the person wants
Speak slowly and listen
Encourage the person to seek options

If the situation deteriorates, use the SUDS principle:

Stay calm
Use open, non aggressive body language
Do not raise your voice
Security should be contacted immediately on (02) 4736 0300 or extension #2300

Consider leaving the situation for your own safety.

Use positive communication strategies

Listen actively and show interest, use good eye contact, paraphrasing, acknowledging, nodding appropriately.
Clearly explain information. If the person does not appear to understand, repeat the message in different ways – do not simply repeat the same words over and over.

You may consider asking:

‘How can I help?’ Paraphrase their words to clarify your understanding of their request
‘Can you tell me what we have agreed?’
‘What is your understanding of the outcome of our conversation?’
‘Have you understood me?’

Check for discrepancies between what they say and what they do.

General good practice principles and what to do in the office when meeting with a person who causes concern

Keep your office door open during the meeting (this is good practice even if there are no concerns regarding safety)
Sit closest to the door and ensure there are no obstacles between you and the door. Make sure the person is not between you and the door. Organise another room if necessary
Before the meeting, remove any items from your desk that could potentially cause harm (e.g. scissors)
Ask another staff member to be present or alert other staff so that they remain in the vicinity
If unsure, err on the side of caution and alert Security requesting that they are in the vicinity

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Have an agreed protocol and code that colleagues understand

Ask a colleague to call 15 minutes into the meeting or to pop their head into the office to ‘remind’ you about something (e.g. a meeting).

Have a code of response, for example:

‘Thanks, I’ve sent my apologies’ = ‘Everything’s ok’
‘Thanks, I’ll be another 10 minutes’ = ‘Seems ok but please check in 10 minutes’
‘Thanks, I had forgotten, I had better finish up here’ = ‘I need you to stay while I finish up but no need to call Security’
‘Thanks, was that meeting with Security?’ = ‘Please call Security, I need help’

Inappropriate email or phone contact

Keep emails or voicemail messages that contain inappropriate content. These can be tracked if necessary.

Seek advice before responding. Always ask a colleague or supervisor to read over your draft response and blind copy in your manager.

Always keep records of any meetings and send a copy of the issues discussed and any outcomes to the student via their student email and staff via staff email. For example, ‘At our meeting today, we discussed the following issues (1) (2) (3) and agreed upon the following actions’ or ‘the following are the outcomes of our meeting’.

You may also contact the Counselling Service if you feel you would benefit from debriefing about the situation or incident.

Mental Health First Aid Training

You can learn to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems, first aid strategies for dealing with mental health crises and where to get help. Find out more and register for the Mental Health First Aid Training online.

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Contacts and resources

Security

When there is an urgent situation requiring immediate assistance, call (02) 4736 0300 or extension #2300
For all other enquiries email security@uws.edu.au or visit the security website.

Counselling Service

Please either call (02) 9852 5199 or extension #5199, email counselling@uws.edu.au or visit the Counselling Service webpage.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Please call 1800 818 728 (24 hours) or read the EAP policy.

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Managing concerning behaviours