Behavioral Intervention Resource Team (BIRT)
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The Moreno Valley College Behavioral Intervention Resource Team (BIRT) provides support to facilitate, coordinate and provide for psychological evaluation and behavioral intervention when needed. The team monitors, "connects event dots," and is available as a behavioral intervention resource to prevent a crisis and promote emotional and behavioral wellness in a student of concern, so that student can function optimally in the classroom. Pro-active Behavioral Intervention Resource Team involvement helps prevent student crisis on a personal level, so that with early intervention, a distressed student can stay in school and accomplish his or her goals. Furthermore, by helping individual students, Moreno Valley College campus safety is enhanced for everyone.
Please feel free to contact any one of the Moreno Valley College Behavioral Intervention Team members should you be concerned about a student's behavior.
Mission Statement
The Behavioral Intervention Resource Team (BIRT) addresses distressed, disruptive or dangerous behavior in students and offers assistance, education resources and consultation to faculty and staff in an effort to positively affect student retention and campus safety.
Meetings
- Meetings will be held every month during fall and Spring Semesters, and frequency may change depending on need.
- The committee will determine the schedule for winter and summer sessions according to need and availability of members.
- Minutes of meetings will be maintained by the office of the chair, Health Services
Director. - Telephone meetings may be called by any member should they decide a report they have taken cannot wait until the next meeting.
Agendas and Minutes
Training
Guidelines:
- Goal is to intervene early to provide support and behavioral response to students displaying disruptive, disturbed or distressed behaviors.
- Disruptive behavior can occur in classrooms, online, via e-mail in writings or anywhere on the campus.
- Faculty or staff may report behaviors as:
- Sleeping in class more than 2-3 times
- Absence from class
- Acting out in class
- Poor preparation or inconsistent work product in class
- Excessive excuses/requests for exception to class work requirements
- Overly aggressive behavior toward others
- Limited ability for redirection or limit setting
- Impairment of thought, verbalization, or writings
- Poor Decision making capacity
- Strange or inappropriate behavior in the setting
- Overreaction to circumstances
- Violence, exhibited acting out, writings, verbalizations, endorsement of violence as seen in the media
- Delusional expressions, appearance of hallucinations, paranoid thoughts, related signs of psychosis
- Lack of expression, concern, commitment and inability to care
- Team members will determine the level of distress, disturbance or severe disturbance based on the following classifications.
- Distressed students
- Students who are emotionally troubled
- Individuals impacted by situational stressors and/or atraumatic event
- Possibility of some psychiatric symptom
- Disturbed Students
- Behaviorally disruptive, unusual or acting bizarrely
- Show indications of a lack of touch with reality
- Destructive, apparently harmful to others
- Possibly substance abusing
- Showing a complete lack of social norms in their behaviors
- Erratic behavior
- Severely Disturbed Students:
- Suicidal
- Para-suicidal (self-injurious, eating disordered)
- Individuals engaging in risk-taking behaviors (e g, substance abusing)
- Hostile, aggressive, relationally abusive
- Individuals deficient in skills that regulate emotion, cognition, self, behavior and
- relationships
- Distressed students
Assessment of risk will be done using the CUBIT Risk Rubric, and recommendations for intervention will be guided by this rubric. See Procedures.
Referrals:
- Faculty, staff or students may report distressed, disruptive or dangerous behavior to any team member.
- The team member will complete an incident report in preparation for the following
BIRT meeting. - The committee will decide from time to time who in the committee will be a central person to report by phone to other members in those cases deemed emergent Telephone triage will be noted at the bottom of the BIRT incident intake report form which is limited to the committee's use.
- If deemed an emergency by the team member, the team member will notify the Campus police (911 or 8171), then the Vice President of Student Services or his designee as soon as possible.
- The reporting person may remain anonymous.
- If an employee is reporting a difficult situation with another employee, the referring party should be told to contact Human Resources Director.
- The report will be discussed among members of the team at the next scheduled meeting, with a recommendation for action to the faculty member within one week of the BIRT meeting.
- Recommendations may or may not include consultation with the Dean, Student Services for disciplinary action or the Vice President Student Services.
Interventions: (In general, for specifics see Procedures)
- Distress: Confront and suggest resources
- Disturbed: Confront and Refer
- Severe Disturbance: Refer or intervene
Contact Information (including members):
- Health Services office:
- Phone number: (951) 571-6103
- Location: PSC-6 (see map)
MVC Behavioral Intervention Resource Team (BIRT)
![]() Dr. Dyrell Foster VP of Student Services BIRT Oversight (951) 571-6120 |
![]() Eugenia Vincent Dean Student Services Student Discipline (951) 571-6384 |
![]() Sgt. Tom Shenton MVC Police Sergeant (951) 222-8171 |
![]() Ann Yoshinaga Dean Academic Support (951) 571-6383 |
![]() Julio Gonzalez Director, Middle College High School (951) 571-6409 |
![]() Dr. Michael Paul Wong Dean, Student Services Counseling (951) 571-6251 |
![]() Dr. Nicole Smith Director, Disability Support Services (951) 571-6317 |
![]() Sue Tarcon Director, Student Health & Psychological Services (951) 571-6103 |
![]() Dan Casella Supervisor, Psychological Services (951) 571-6103 |
![]() Frankie Moore Student Activities Coordinator (951) 571-6149 |
![]() Corporal Sam Weston MVC Police Specialist (951) 222-8171 |
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In addition, electronically fillable "Disruptive Student Behavior" form is readily available on the Forms section for documentation purposes.
For emergencies or urgent needs outside the regular business hours of Health Services, the following agencies will connect you with someone who can evaluate your situation and provide help.
IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A LIFE-THREATENING EMERGENCY,
CALL 911
- LOCAL RAPE CRISIS: 866-686-7273 (www.rarcc.org)
- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: 888-805-6455, or 800-226-4257
- NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: 800-273-8255
Suicide Prevention - NATIONAL HOPELINE NETWORK: 800-784-2433
Suicide Prevention - CALIFORNIA YOUTH CRISIS LINE: 800-843-5200
A statewide, toll-free, 24-hour, confidential hotline for youth age 12-24 for information, support, and referrals to local resources.
Less Urgent Matters
College can be an exciting time, and it can sometimes be overwhelming and stressful. Depression, anxiety, substance use, and eating disorders are common mental health issues experienced by students. Counseling and support services can help students identify and manage personal concerns, learn more about themselves, and make positive life changes. Talking about issues and concerns in a safe and confidential environment can enable students to become more successful in college and life.
Resources
- Campus Police if necessary
- Community Mental Health Resources
Visit MVC's Health Services Mental Health section. - Community Providers (coming up)
- Dean, Student Services or Vice President, Student Services if warranted
- Disability Support Services: Assessment for learning accommodations
- Health Services: Psychological counseling/and our referral to community providers
- General Mental Health Resources
Below are additional links to excellent websites for mental health information: - Go Ask Alice: Website operated by Columbia University to answer the questions of college students on issues related to physical health, mental health, and sexuality.
- Half Of Us: This engaging youth-oriented site uses video stories of students and high-profile artists to increase awareness about mental health issues and the importance of getting help.
- Healthyminds.org: This website of the American Psychiatric Association offers a broad array of information on topics related to mental health.
- Helpguide: Website operated by a non-profit organization offers information and resources on a broad range of mental health topics.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): An advocacy group for people living with mental illness and their loved ones. Good source of information and resources on mental health topics.
- ReachOut.com: An information and support service using evidence based principles and technology to help teens and young adults facing tough times and struggling with mental health issues.
- ULifeLine.org: An online resource for college students with information about protecting your emotional health and what to do if you or friends are struggling with mental health issues.
- Kognito At-Risk for Faculty & Staff
We have adopted an interactive, online gatekeeper training simulation that will assist faculty and staff to better identify and refer students in distress to support services on campus. We highly recommend that you take this 45 minute course, which is already in use at over 400 colleges and universities. Visit MVC's Health Services Kognito Interactive Trainings section. To take the course, follow the instructions below:- Go to: http://ccc.kognito.com
- Click "Access Training"
- Create an account and choose Point of View: Faculty
- Follow the on-screen instructions
- On-Campus Mental Health Resources
Benefits of counseling include relief from distressing symptoms; improved emotional health; the acquisition of new approaches to problem solving and decision making; more satisfying interpersonal relationships; and increased insight and understanding of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Visit MVC's Health Services Mental Health section. - Behavior Rubric
Mental and Behavioral Health Risk. - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Lifeline Crisis Chat
- Crisis Text Line
- The Alex Project [text ANSWER to 839863 or LISTEN to 741741]
- The Alex Project - Facebook Community Organization
- Mental Health Screening