Module 2: Mental Health Counseling Referral Role Play

Assignment Instructions:

Role Play

Role play and record the following in Cranium Café with a fellow classmate (be sure to take turns as each participant must play both the counselor and student role).

There are two student roles that you may choose from that can help create realistic situations you may experience as a counselor. Please choose one as the role of the student. If applicable, you may draw from personal experiences you have encountered; however, please be mindful that each role play is 15-20 minutes each. In order to give each other an opportunity to apply what was learned, please refrain from telling each other what role you are playing: 

1. Student Option 1: Open and forthcoming, easy to speak with and gather information from; definitely wants help but unsure what to do; doesn't necessarily ask for it.
2. Student Option 2: Resistant, aloof in answering; exhibits signs of depression, but eventually opens by the counselor's level of engagement.

Please remember that how you interact as the role of the counselor based on your your level of engagement (body language, attentiveness, and tone) can greatly affect how students will respond!

Please note:

• Each role play recording should be no longer than 15-20 minutes.
• You will only need to record one Cranium Café meeting session for each team of two. Decide who will record. Follow this general schema for recording your Cranium Café assignment:
  1. Decide who will play which role.
  2. Recording will automatically begin when you start the session. (Be sure session is being recorded!)  
  3. Announce your role for your mock role-play session, for example, "Hi my name is ____, and I will be playing the counselor. My partner, ____, who will be playing the student. 
  4. Each mock role play session will be 15-20 minutes. (Recommended: use a timer.)
  5. When it is your partner's turn, follow #3 instructions.
  6. Cranium Café Cloud Recording may take up to 24 hours to appear. 
  7. Submit Recording with this title, "Your Last Name-Partner Last Name_Roleplay." Upload and attach your recording to this assignment.
  8. Optional: We encourage you to share any reactions, challenges, or successes in the Module 2 Q&A Forum.

Prompt:

You are meeting with a student in the online environment for an ed plan update. Halfway into your meeting the student mentions he/she might withdraw from the remainder of the semester. When asked why the student describes falling behind on assignments and complains about feeling “depressed”. Knowing depression means different things to different people, you ask the student to elaborate on what he/she means by “depressed”. The student describes disturbed sleep, sadness, crying, hopelessness, social isolation, and spending days in bed. To assess urgency, you directly ask the student if he/she is having suicidal thoughts and a plan (for this assignment the answer will be no to both). You educate the student on the ability to access mental health support including possible benefits and challenges. Finally, you demonstrate a referral to mental health counseling and a suicide prevention hotline in detail.