Intervening (I Can...I Will...) & Practice

By investing in your own wellness you'll be positively impacting the larger student body.

Let’s take some time to think about your role as a member of this community, particularly relating to intervening. Maybe during this conversation, you have been thinking you do not drink, you have no desire to drink and none of this pertains to you. The fact of the matter is, while you may not drink several of your peers do so, you may be in a situation where you may need to call for assistance, because someone has overdosed. You may be in a situation where you protect someone from a predator. You may be in a situation where you help someone in a time of need.

 At William & Mary we do not use the language of bystander intervention, our “bystander intervention”, is a courage intervention titled I Can…I Will (Using Courage to Make Change). In short, the four steps to intervening are Awareness, Analysis, Assume Responsibility, and Act.  I can…I will, is an intervention designed to increase one’s courage in acting on their values and intervening in a situation. This intervention is not about being fearless, but managing ones fear and acting on what is important to them personally. Ultimately, you consider what you can do, decide you will do it, and do it. This approach disempowers all the negative thoughts and cuts the decision down to “What can I do”.

At William & Mary you might hear messages that compete with or totally disregard your individual wellness, we invite you, as we stated in the beginning, to approach life with a Wellness Mindset. You might find stress glorification which is the competitive and comparative value placed on how much one is suffering creeping into your aura. Stress glorification allows you to believe you can run on empty and where a badge of honor around it…AND…offer the excuse, motivation, need for tension release which often comes in the form of drinking. That being said… it is important to intervene in these moments.

We can discuss all these things infinitely. One of the imperative things is practicing. The best in their fields use visualization as a technique to practice. (Golfers visualize their swings before they take the shot, basketball players, visualize hitting the free throw before taking a game winner, people visualize their presentations before they present) Practicing helps us maximize the impact of training. It is one of the ways we become proficient at what we are doing and helps us retain skills by making them routine. It is the only way we learn something new (playing the piano, public speaking, cooking, etc.)  It is a way to move from visualization to actualization. Let’s go over some scenarios…

Activity #4

Activity four, scenario practice

Scenario Practice Divide participants into four groups, each is assigned to review one scenario.  Groups discuss the scenario and then determine two ways they could intervene in what is happening. Each group will report back by reading their scenario and sharing two ideas for interruption.

 

scenarios

Scenario 1  You’re chatting with your friend about winter break plans while walking to Sadler for lunch. You express your excitement about binge-watching a show you saw a preview for, you’ve had your eye on this show for a while.  In response, they first express they plan to party to blow off some steam, then proceed to list off all the things they need to do and express in detail how stressed they are about everything they must do over the break to catch up with their leadership positions.

Scenario 2 You overhear your roommates chatting in the living room. The first friend says, “We have a formal this weekend, I have a midterm tomorrow, and I am still recovering from last weekend. I am going to need six cups of coffee to make it." The other friend responds, “At least you haven’t cried today. I have two mid-terms and a paper. I still have nine pages to write AND I have a birthday party I am going to tonight.”

Scenario 3 ALCOHOL: You have a friend who is obsessive about grades, and you know they are worried about getting into med school, you text to check on them.  They text back, “Not great. After studying all night, I only got an 85.” You reply with an encouraging text, “That’s good! It looks like your studying paid off!”  They quickly respond with, “It’s not good enough.” You change the subject and ask what they plan to do for the upcoming weekend. They say they plan to work hard for the rest of the week and then blow off some steam this weekend. You know that means partying.

Scenario 4 ALCOHOL: You are at a gathering with a friend.  You notice they are trying to leave with a stranger. You approach them and ask what’s going on. Their eyes are glazed over and they have slurred speech, which are signs of intoxication. They continue to leave with the stranger.

Thanks for taking some time to practice what it sounds/looks like to dismantle stress glorification culture and intervene where alcohol is present. When we approach what we do with a Wellness Mindset and work to change the culture, we become more resilient against unhealthy coping patterns such as excessive drinking and drug use.  Practicing intervening every day attunes us to our own needs and allows us to be intentional about our choices and behaviors, hopefully resulting in connecting with our community in safe and healthy ways. Always remember whatever you do, “Do It for the Well of It”,

If you find yourself struggling to cope, take some time to check out the Self-Care Over Soothing resource. SOS is for those who are looking for a healthy way to manage stress, cope with the vicissitudes of life, or decrease/eliminate substance use. For context, soothing is any behavior motivated by the desire to temporarily feel better while self-care is any behavior in which the intention is to be healthier.

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