Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Tasks

Internal training

• We will continue to engage in cross-racial dialogues among staff, identity-based presentations, culturally rich case presentations, affinity work, culturally sensitive training seminars for trainees, culturally sensitive supervision. We will examine the impact of white privilege and white supremacy on our lives and education, and how it has influenced mental health care.

External training

• We will continue with engagement with external consultants who are experts in the field of diversity, equity and equality and psychology/counseling. This might include a racial healing retreat for Counseling Center staff facilitated by experts in the field of racial trauma, and/or a series of workshops for the whole staff with one consultant, and/or a series of unique workshops with experts.

New

• Institute a "reflection and review" conversation among staff. This will be a supportive conversation with peers and the multicultural committee, available as a "debrief" when there is an impasse or rupture between therapist and student or a situation when a clinician recognizes a cross-cultural incident, for the purpose of learning.

• In keeping with the theme of learning, the Counseling Center eliciting feedback and accountability for change, consider a reporting capacity via our website for concerns/comments related to the center's interactions with students.

• Create list of the Counseling Center's recommended trainings for continuing education units for staff so that Brandeis staff engage on their own.

Criteria

• This will be measured by staff's learning and development. Changes will be evident in individuals learning and engagement, as well as staff cohesion. Staff cohesion will be evidenced by:

  • Increased capacity for cross-racial dialogue between staff (as evident at meetings/trainings).

  • Reported comfort/security/trust from members of staff.

Individual measures for success

• Clinicians will measure their own competency. Identify areas for growth and learning. Individuals goals will be tailored to their own experience/ learning goals.

  • Annual review (starting fall 2021)

    • Staff will create their own goals, will share them with others via peer groups or MCC, will return to them throughout the year in routine fashion, and will evaluate them at the annual reviews. Staff will comment on their own learning achievements in the last year.

  • Additional measurements to be determined

    • Feedback from students regarding alliance and cultural responsiveness.

    • Consider implementation of a "multicultural measurement evaluation tool" for clinicians (estimated implementation fall 2021).

Tasks

• Review current FTEs; determine capacity to increase staffing and exact scope of role.

• Design and review job descriptions to ensure they are articulating the anti-racist practice and social justice mission of the Counseling Center.

• Advertise open positions on websites likely to attract desired candidates (increase budget to allow for this) and ensure staff are notified to be able to network. Ask staff to participate in a transparent interview process with universal interview questions.

• Work with Human Resources to ensure our staff is being offered competitive salaries and is offered annual increases. Be transparent with staff re: how salaries are determined.

• Determine how much of our billing contributes to our capacity to hire. Consider whether we can get on the panels of other insurance companies to generate increased revenue.

• Consider hiring crisis therapists who respond to mental health crises overnight (per Black Action Plan).

Criteria

• This will be measured by the Counseling Center's success in attracting and retaining staff with expertise as described.

Tasks

• Hold a reading club and/or journal club for staff to learn, discuss and write together.(Target date fall 2021.)

• Create scholarship opportunities focused on research in this arena. (Estimated timeline is fall 2023.) The aim will be to develop the expertise of our staff in this field of anti-racism, equity and justice in mental health, culturally affirmative practices, and healing. This might be a "sabbatical" from their clinical work and/or a reduction in clinical hours. Staff would apply with a proposal for what they intend to research and write. There would be an engagement/experiential component to the learning. Limit one to two staff per year for limited hours each week. This would require time and maintenance of typical salary. This will enable staff to deepen expertise and lead the charge on anti-racist, culturally responsive and affirming care.

Criteria

• This will be evidenced / measured by staff producing research, writing, workshops that would contribute to the Counseling Center's practice and model. Staff would then be able to train other employees of the center and offer workshops and groups to students, faculty and staff. Persons developing this expertise would create goals around outreach, engagement in dialogue across departments, and ways to create a more robust community of support.

Tasks

• Improve physical presentation of the Counseling Center; consider name change and a redesign of the building, including art work.

• Community therapy program will expand to several more locations on campus and expanded hours. Locations to be identified. Focus efforts where students are unfamiliar with the Counseling Center or areas where there is high stress and percentage of international / POC students. Consider development of a Counseling Center liaison relationship; formalized outreach component to clinical positions. Liaisons and representatives from departments would have communication / updates on student needs and develop or collaborate on programming. One piece of this is educating campus partners on our model.

• Therapists will be highly skilled (see first bullet item, above) through education and evaluation.

• We will either render services to students or refer to service providers with a broad range of identities and approaches. These providers are not necessarily paid for by insurance, e.g., acupuncture, meditation, indigenous healing practices. A formal agreement with outside providers in the area and / or telehealth companies must be established to ensure smooth transition to care. If there is a financial barrier or prohibitive cost, the university would assist with the students' needs. This will allow equal access. Funds to support this would remove the issue of insurance and out-of-pocket expenses.

• Consider creation of a fund for mental health campaign to support mental health needs with help of outside donors and alumni.

Criteria

• Assess cultural responsiveness of the BCC as a center through the use of the multicultural checklist for counseling centers. Assessment tool to be identified and/or developed by fall 2021.

• Implementation of possible satisfaction survey to students measuring their experience of alliance, being understood, having needs met and cultural affirmation. (Survey to be developed by fall 2021.)

• Success would be measured by arranging partnership with external referrals, including local providers and telehealth companies, and other healers, etc., and successfully and efficiently referring students to providers who will meet their needs. (Will be 50% achieved by fall 2023, 100% achieved by fall fall 2025.)

Tasks

• Counseling Center to advocate for faculty training on mental health; consider surveying them to assess skills for management of mental health / promoting well-being.

  1. Work together to build cohesion, shared vision.

     • Partner with student groups and campus partners with the goal of strengthening relationships. Offer workshops, consultations and meet-and-greets. (Create strategic plan for this for the 2021-22 academic year.)

     • Develop a presentation on racism and mental health to be shared with areas of campus, potentially with the Faculty Senate and/or the Center for Teaching and Learning. (Goal is to identify staff to offer this training and present during the 2021-22 academic year.)

     • Dialogue about the psychological impact of mental health and oppression and how this applies on our campus; work collaboratively to build community via dialogue and shared initiatives.

  2. Work together to identify the most effective initiative for campus wide change. Bring in an external consultant to create campus wide buy-in and accountability. As an example, consider working with the Steve Fund to "improve campus racial climate, reduce mental health stigma and increase participation in mental health services among students of color." (Estimated timeline: discussion and planning, 2021-22 academic year; implementation target date, fall 2022.)

Criteria

• Standardized training for faculty on mental health concerns in the classroom and Counseling Center resources. (Training to be ready by fall 2021.)