SA Voices From the Field
Dr. Jill Creighton, NASPA
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Navigating Grief and Supporting Colleagues in Student Affairs with Dr. Melinda Stoops
In the demanding world of student affairs, professionals are adept at supporting students through crises, but often overlook the need to extend similar care to each other. In this week's "SA Voices from the Field," Dr. Jill Creighton and Dr. Melinda Stoops delve into the complexities of navigating grief and loss within the field, offering strategic insights for supporting colleagues during challenging times. Understanding the Impact of Grief in Higher Education Grief is a ubiquitous human experience, but its management within the professional environment, especially in student affairs, can be particularly delicate. Dr. Stoops emphasizes the significance of acknowledging grief and understanding that everyone processes it differently. She encourages a culture of empathy and grace, suggesting that it's critical to check in with colleagues and provide space for them to express their needs without imposing judgments or preconceived notions. Core Principles for Supporting Colleagues Dr. Stoops and Dr. Creighton highlight the importance of treating individuals as whole beings, which is fundamental both in student interactions and among colleagues. This holistic approach considers physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, recognizing that well-being is multifaceted and interconnected. Dr. Stoops shares practical strategies such as simple breathing exercises to help manage stress. Techniques like "rainbow breathing" and "box breathing" can be powerful tools for grounding oneself in the present moment, which can be crucial between back-to-back meetings or during particularly stressful periods. Practical Strategies to Recenter and Refocus Returning to fundamental wellness practices can significantly benefit professionals in student affairs. Dr. Stoops suggests incorporating short walks, breathing exercises, and even hydration breaks into the daily routine to maintain focus and manage stress. These strategies are designed to be quick and easily integrated into a busy workday, offering immediate relief and aiding in long-term well-being. Supporting Supervisees and Supervisors The relationship dynamics between supervisors and supervisees can play a crucial role in managing grief. Supervisors are advised to adopt a compassionate and flexible approach, allowing space for supervisees to express their needs and emotions. It's important for supervisors to be vulnerable and share their experiences appropriately, while maintaining professional boundaries and focusing on the needs of their team. Similarly, supervisees are encouraged to check in with their supervisors, acknowledging the power dynamics but also offering support. This can help create a supportive and empathetic office culture where everyone feels valued and understood. The Importance of Peer Support Peer-to-peer support is equally vital. Colleagues should feel comfortable checking in with each other and offering help, understanding that different individuals may need varying levels of support. Simple gestures of checking in can make a significant difference, reinforcing a sense of community and collective care. Moving Forward with Compassion As student affairs professionals, it's essential to foster an environment where everyone feels supported, especially during times of grief and loss. By adopting these strategies and understanding the profound impact of empathy and compassion, the field can not only navigate the challenges of today but also build a resilient and caring community for the future. Emphasizing the importance of holistic well-being, strategic check-ins, and compassionate support, this episode of "SA Voices from the Field" provides invaluable insights for higher education professionals striving to support each other through life's inevitable challenges. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:01]: Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts. Brought to you by NASPA, we curate free and accessible professional development for higher ed professionals wherever you happen to be. This is season 12, continuing our journey through the past, present, and future of student affairs. I'm doctor Jill Creighton, she, her, hers, your essay Voices from the Field host. Just a quick note that we recorded this episode prior to Melinda announcing her departure from Boston College. So while she references her work at BC quite a lot, she just wanted to let you know that she has moved to a new professional opportunity. Today on SA Voices from the Field, we're going to be having a conversation with one of our colleagues about how we navigate tragedy and loss amongst ourselves. We spend so much time doing this work with students that we often don't stop and think about how to support each other in the process or when things happen that are just part of the human experience. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:58]: So I'm pleased to welcome Doctor. Melinda Stoops. As a licensed psychologist, she entered higher education over twenty years ago as the director of a college counseling center. For the past fifteen years, she's served in various administrative roles in student affairs, including as dean of students, associate vice president for student affairs, and deputy title nine coordinator. Melinda prioritizes student well-being in all of her work and is particularly interested in increasing cross campus partnerships to achieve a collective impact on student health and wellness. She earned a PhD in counseling psychology from Indiana State University and an MA in counseling psychology from Radford University, as well as a BA in psychology from Smith College. Melinda, welcome to SA Voices from the Field. Dr. Melinda Stoops [00:01:37]: Thanks so so much, Jill. I'm excited to be here. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:39]: We are very glad to be talking to you today about the very important topic and probably under discussed topic in our field around how we support our colleagues going through trauma and tragedy because we know that in our profession, we're seeing an increase in that. We've been seeing that for quite a few years now. But before we dive into our main topic today, we always like to get to know our guests by asking you, how did you get to your current seat? Dr. Melinda Stoops [00:02:02]: Oh, that's a great question. I entered higher education as a director of a counseling center. I'm a psychologist. And so when I graduated, I worked in a couple of different settings and just really missed higher education and was fortunate to be able to be hired as the director of a counseling center and then over time was promoted and ended up making my way back into the mental health focus through my work with student health and wellness. And so I've been serving as the associate vice president for student health and wellness at Boston College for a number of years and really find it's a nice combination as a psychologist and as a higher ed administrator. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:43]: What does your portfolio currently include? Dr. Melinda Stoops [00:02:46]: Right now, I oversee the areas related to student health and wellness, which includes university health services, primary care sports medicine, the counseling center, the center for student wellness, and I also work closely with a care team that works with students impacted by sexual violence. And I also serve as the university deputy title line coordinator. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:08]: That's a lot on your plate right now. Dr. Melinda Stoops [00:03:10]: It is. There are some days where it feels like more than others, but that's the nature of the beast, I guess, in higher education. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:16]: And eventually, we'll do another episode on the title nine updates. It's been a minute, but I would imagine that we're gonna see some additional changes to the proposed rules at some point very soon, and that will be another set of challenges for us to navigate as a field. Dr. Melinda Stoops [00:03:31]: Definitely. That feels like it's a constantly moving piece of work that we need to adjust to. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:36]: Yeah. For about the last twenty years or so, I think there's been a rule change every time there's been an administration change. But with all of the kind of well-being components on your plate right now, our profession is really wholly and solely focused on the weld wellness and well-being of our students, which is where we've been focused and where we should be focused. But oftentimes, we don't necessarily translate or apply that same care or those same strategies of care to our teams or our staff members or those of us that interact regularly with trauma. And that happens for a lot of us in student affairs. But also we have our own worlds that are going at the same time as we're exhibiting care for our students. And I know personally we've had quite a bit of loss in the field as of late, loss and tragedy, and just people navigating their own personal needs around, trauma and grief. And so I'm looking forward to talking to you today about how we can translate some of that work, and apply that to, the people that we work with day in and day out. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:04:36]: So why don't we start with what are some of the core principles that you think are most critical when we're working with students in a care setting, not from a psychological perspective? Dr. Melinda Stoops [00:04:46]: Not from a clinical perspective. So in terms of our work with students, I think we look at student and well-being as as a whole person, that well-being encompasses many different elements. So a lot of times we think about that as a physical element of well-being, but also emotional, spiritual. There's a lot of different dimensions of well-being, and we'll see different models for that. Some have seven dimensions, some have nine. But the bottom line is they all recognize that we hav
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