Module 4: Transitional Stress
NATE: Most student veterans you meet won’t seem any different from other students.
ALICIA: But a few might show warning signs of psychological distress.
For example, imagine a student who’s often late or absent. During class, he seems restless—stirring in his seat or even going in and out of the room during class. He seems easily startled and sometimes doesn’t appear to be paying attention in class.
NATE: Maybe he turns in assignments late or incomplete. Or does poorly on exams, even when you know he understands the material. He might even seem agitated. Maybe you saw him have an outburst of anger at some point.
ALICIA: He might also seem overly concerned with structure, asking for excessive clarification about exams and assignments.
NATE: Though these individual warning signs don’t necessarily indicate a problem on their own, a combination of these signs could suggest that a veteran might be having trouble adjusting to life back home, or even indicate a more severe condition, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, which can cause trouble concentrating and processing information.
ALICIA: It’s hard for faculty or staff members to know what’s causing the behavior. But they are in a great position to notice and take action.
NATE: Trust your instincts. If a student is putting a lot of effort into class, but doesn’t get corresponding results, then it’s good to be worried and talk to the student to see what’s going on.
ALICIA: Which brings us to our last story…
Chris seems to try hard to do well in his biology course. He visits his professor's office hours and asks questions after class. You can tell he’s interested in learning the material. But he doesn’t do well on exams.
During the last exam, he seemed fidgety… nervous… He was one of the first people to turn in his test, and he left a lot of the answers blank. The next class, when asked what happened, he gave a vague answer.
CHRIS: I don’t know. My mind was just like all over the place.
ALICIA: The professor asks him to come to office hours later in the day to talk… At times, you’ll hear Nate and I comment on their conversation.
PROFESSOR: So, thanks for coming by. I just want to talk to you about this last exam we had.
CHRIS: I know, I suck at tests. I’m sorry.
Example of a Weak Conversation
PROFESSOR: Your grade in the class is very low right now. And, if you fail another exam, I don’t know how you’re going to pull yourself out of this.
CHRIS: I know.
PROFESSOR: You’ve been acting so strange in class lately. What’s going on?
CHRIS: Oh… uh…yeah, I’m sorry.
ALICIA: So—of course you probably know this, but—the way we say things makes a huge difference in how people respond.
NATE: Negative labels—
ALICIA: Like strange, weird, silly, crazy—
NATE: They can make the other person defensive, where they don’t want to listen to what you have to say.
PROFESSOR: Maybe you should go by the Testing Center. They give workshops on studying, note taking, test taking… You might benefit from something like that.
CHRIS: Oh, I guess.
NATE: Faculty and staff are great “gatekeepers,” referring students who need help to campus services that can provide that help.
ALICIA: But, before referring, it’s good ask a few questions to better understand the student’s need.
NATE: Then a more informed referral can be made.
PROFESSOR: When you take the tests, is something distracting you?
CHRIS: Well, (clears throat) I, uh… Actually, I just came back from overseas. I was in the Army. So, uh…
I don’t know, it’s hard for me to focus on class sometimes. I just… It’s just so boring. I mean, no offense or anything. I’m sure you’re a great teacher and all, but school just isn’t… you know, just isn’t my thing. I’m like 99% soldier… like pretending to be a student, but it’s just… it’s not working.
PROFESSOR: So you want to be in school, but it just doesn’t feel quite right.
CHRIS: Yeah! I mean, it means a lot to me. I just… I just can’t make all the dots connect sometimes.
PROFESSOR: Wow. What did you do in the military?
CHRIS: Mechanic. In Afghanistan. I love engines, you know. Not so good at your biology exams, but… ask me to rebuild a transmission, and I can write you a whole essay.
PROFESSOR: (laughs) I bet.
PROFESSOR: You were so lucky to be a mechanic, not on the front lines!
CHRIS: (looks uncomfortable… looks down)
ALICIA: It's important to try not to make assumptions about how easy or difficult Chris’s deployment was.
NATE: It sounds like he was stationed in a combat zone, and there’s really no way to know what kind of experiences he had.
PROFESSOR: Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make any assumptions.
CHRIS: (shrugs) Eh, whatever.
PROFESSOR: You know, I remember growing up, hearing about Vietnam vets being, you know, kind of messed up from what they went through. And now young veterans like you are home, having the same types of problems.
CHRIS: Look, uh… I don’t want to offend you or anything. But… This… I can’t really talk about this.
NATE: Okay, no one wants to be labeled as a “messed up vet.”
ALICIA: It’s a really uncomfortable stereotype.
NATE: Let's hear the rest of the conversation play out without having asked that, and—if the professor thinks Chris is struggling—she should refer him somewhere he can get help.
PROFESSOR: Did you get to see a lot of combat over there?
CHRIS: I don’t know. I don’t really like to talk about it too much.
PROFESSOR: Oh, I’m sorry.
CHRIS: No, it’s okay. Just… just trying to move forward, you know.
PROFESSOR: Well, let’s talk about what we can do about these exams in my class...
Example of a Good Conversation
PROFESSOR: Well, it seems like you put a lot of effort into the class, which is why it worried me that you left the exam early, with maybe only three-quarters of the questions answered. What happened?
ALICIA: Good approach.
NATE: The professor mentioned specific, observable behavior. Then, instead of jumping to conclusions, she asked why this happened.
ALICIA: The professor even managed to give some genuine praise.
NATE: Plus she let him know that she's worried about him.
ALICIA: These are great techniques for talking with any student about your concerns. Now let’s see what he says…
PROFESSOR: …What happened?
CHRIS: I don’t even know. I mean, I studied my ass off—sorry. I mean, I studied real hard. And, then I get there, I sit down, and it’s like there’s this party in my head that I’m not invited to, you know? And I can’t remember anything. Everything disappears. Like, boom, gone. And that’s the truth. I studied really hard, but… You know, whatever.
PROFESSOR: Well, what can I do to help you out?
CHRIS: You can make the tests easier!
PROFESSOR: Well, yeah. (laughs) I guess everybody would like that. But is there anything else I can do to help you?
CHRIS: I don’t know. You did a great job preparing us, so I don’ t know. I’ve just got to concentrate better. I just have to focus. Maybe if you have some of those focus pills, that would help.
PROFESSOR: Does this happen in other classes, too, or just in my class?
CHRIS: Uh, yeah. I mean, this class is the worst. ‘Cause there’s so many people and…
I don’t know what it is about this class, but… a lot of my other classes I do online, or like, we don’t have as many tests in class. But your, your tests are like, long. And they’re difficult. So this is the worst class for sure. I mean, no offense.
PROFESSOR: What did you mean about needing to focus more on exams?
CHRIS: I mean like staring at the question, reading it over and over… And I know the answer. But… it just doesn’t come to me. Just… nothing. My head’s like… everywhere. But not on the exam.
PROFESSOR: How long have you had trouble concentrating on exams?
CHRIS: Since coming back… (corrects himself) Well, since starting school.
PROFESSOR: When you say “since coming back…” Do you mean… Were you in the military by any chance?
CHRIS: Uh, yes, ma’am. I did four years, Army.
NATE: It sounds like Chris has had trouble concentrating since coming back.
ALICIA: If he has a condition like PTSD or traumatic brain injury, he would qualify for an academic accommodation through the disability services office. For example, they could arrange for him to take his tests in a quiet room, maybe with more time.
NATE: Plus, he might also benefit from services at the counseling center.
ALICIA: In addition to referring him to one or both of these offices, the professor should feel free to ask about his service.
NATE: She seems to have a good relationship, so I don’t think he’ll mind.
ALICIA: As long as she doesn’t ask anything intrusive.
PROFESSOR: So it sounds like your concentration issues started when you got back from the military.
CHRIS: Yeah. When they discharged me, they said I have signs of T.B.I.
PROFESSOR: T.B.I.?
CHRIS: Uh, brain injury. Traumatic brain injury. It’s… it makes it kind of hard to… focus sometimes. Just… got knocked around too much, I guess. They say it’ll probably get better over time, but right now I’m just kind of… (makes a frustrated face)
ALICIA: If Chris has been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, it should be pretty easy for him to get a test-taking accommodation through disability services.
NATE: All they need is documentation of his condition.
ALICIA: You might be wondering why Chris didn’t talk about this sooner… But a lot of students—especially student veterans—aren’t fully aware of the services available to them.
NATE: And they may not even know very much about the condition they’ve been diagnosed with.
ALICIA: Exactly. So it may never occur to them to ask for help.
NATE: That’s why it’s so important for faculty and staff to connect students who need help with services that are there to provide that help.
PROFESSOR: Wow, where did you serve?
CHRIS: Afghanistan. Near Kandahar. I was an Army mechanic.
PROFESSOR: Oh, yeah?
CHRIS: Yeah, not so good at your biology exams, but I am good at engines… Ask me to rebuild a transmission, and I can write you a whole essay.
PROFESSOR: (laughs) I bet.
PROFESSOR: Well, welcome home. I imagine that can be quite an adjustment, coming from Afghanistan back here.
CHRIS: You don’t even know. It’s… harrowing.
PROFESSOR: Harrowing.
CHRIS: Man, crazy… It’s just… it’s adjustment. It’s adjustment that’s killing me right now.
PROFESSOR: You know, it’s not uncommon for returning veterans to have some issues adjusting to civilian and college life.
(CHRIS nods)
PROFESSOR: It’s a huge adjustment. And it can take a while before you start to feel like yourself again.
CHRIS: (quiet voice) Yeah, I believe it.
PROFESSOR: Well, let’s talk about what we can do about these exams in my class.
When students have trouble concentrating in the testing environment because of a condition like you described, the school offers accommodations, like where you can take tests in a different kind of setting.
CHRIS: Like in a padded room or something?
PROFESSOR: (laughs) Well, like maybe in a quiet room by yourself. Or having more time to take the test.
CHRIS: Oh. That’d be… awesome. But that’s not really fair to the other students, is it?
PROFESSOR: Well—
CHRIS: I don’t want special treatment just cause I’m like... (gestures toward his head)
PROFESSOR: Well… Look… From what I understand, you’ve had some experiences that the other students haven’t had, and you’ve already overcome some challenges they never had to deal with. And it certainly seems you’d be deserving of an accommodation.
And remember, you’re still taking the same test; and it’s about testing your knowledge, not about how fast you can finish it. So, in that sense, you wouldn’t be getting any special treatment. Just creating conditions to help you be more successful.
(CHRIS nods)
PROFESSOR: And if you got an accommodation, you could use it in your other classes, too.
CHRIS: Well, that would be awesome. What would I have to do?
PROFESSOR: Well, you just need to get documentation of the T.B.I., and take that to the office here that handles accommodations. That’s it.
CHRIS: What is this office?
PROFESSOR: Disabled Student Services.
CHRIS: (surprised) Disabled?
PROFESSOR: Look, I know it’s got kind of a funny ring to it. I don’t think you need to worry about that so much.
They work with all kinds of students to get accommodations. If you want, we can call them right now and ask them about the process. What do you say?
CHRIS: Well… yeah. Thanks.
PROFESSOR: Great! And before I call them I just want to say I’m really glad that you told me you’re a veteran because here at the school we have a number of services for veterans.
CHRIS: Yeah?
PROFESSOR: Yeah. We have a student veteran club here, where you can meet other veterans on campus… And we have a veteran liaison who’s really knowledgeable about student veteran issues. Plus, there’s the counseling center. They have services for veterans… you know, to help ease that transition from being in the military to being a student. I know that can be really stressful for some people.
CHRIS: Yeah.
PROFESSOR: And you may know there’s a V.A. hospital and a Vet Center near here.
CHRIS: Yeah, I heard something about that.
PROFESSOR: So if you need any of those numbers, I can get them for you.
CHRIS: Eh, no it’s okay. But… it’s good to know. Thank you.
PROFESSOR: Sure. So I’ll go ahead and call about that accommodation, okay?
CHRIS: Cool. I really appreciate it.
Post-Conversation
NATE: Some faculty and staff don’t feel comfortable talking to student veterans, especially about topics like these.
ALICIA: But a student veteran’s unique situation can pose unique challenges.
And helping a student increases his chances of graduating and removes the burden from you and other faculty and staff to handle his issues on your own.
NATE: When you talk to a student about your concerns, mention specific, observable behaviors.
Then ask what’s causing those behaviors.
Listen and decide if a referral is necessary.
If you do refer, try to normalize the process of getting help.
And follow up with the student in a week or so to see how it went.
ALICIA: Of course, if the student’s behavior is really concerning—where you’re concerned for their safety or the safety of others—let someone know right away.