Christopher D. Valentino

 

As a Graduate Hall Director I have had many different experiences that have promoted my advising and helping competency to a proficient level.  In many ways, advising and helping is at the core of my internship experience as I regularly advise students on a variety of topics from personal aspirations to roommate mediations.  I have developed this competency area primarily through my experiences with conflict and crisis management.

 

Throughout my time in the CSP program I have served on the on-call duty rotation for Bowling Green State University’s Office of Residence Life.  As such, I regularly encounter situations that require me to address and assist students in crisis.  In these situations I have to quickly assess the situation, the student, and determine the proper course of action.  As such, I often read a student’s non-verbal signals (including vocal inflection and body posture) to help inform how I approach the situation.  However, cultural contexts and individual experiences dramatically influence how I communicate with students in crisis.  Additionally, my identity as cisgender biracial male also influenced how students to respond to me in certain crisis situations.  As such, whenever I approach a situation I have to take into consideration my perceived identity, the overarching cultural context, and any preexisting knowledge of the student that I may have.  For example, in April 2014 I responded to an instance of sexual assault and had to take my identity into consideration as I assisted the survivor by connecting them with on-campus and community resources.  In addition to connecting the student to resources on campus, I consulted with mental health professionals on the bay way to support the student through the rest of the academic year. 

 

Additionally, I have developed my advising and helping skills through numerous interpersonal conflict mediations within my residential community.  For example, in November 2014, I facilitated a group meditation between 13 residents over racial microaggressions and perceived disrespect.  During this mediation I utilized rudimentary restorative justice and micro counseling techniques to empower the students to discuss how the actions of others negatively influenced their experiences in the residential community.  I have also facilitated several training sessions with my resident advisors to improve their conflict resolution skills.

 

Although I need to continue to develop my helping and advising skills as I progress throughout my career, I am proficient enough to assist a student in a crisis situation and connect them with the appropriate resources.  Likewise, my pre-existing advising and helping skills provides a strong foundation to continue to build my understanding of the complexities of mental health concerns on college campuses.