The Jaguar Coping and Resilience Team—what we call JagsCARE—provides immediate and short-term support and interventions for those involved in a potentially traumatic event or critical incident.
The goals of the support and interventions are to:
To request support from the JagsCARE team, contact Counseling and Psychological Services.
Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
317-274-2548
capsindy@iu.edu
Lockefield Village, second floor
980 Indiana Ave.
CAPS’ email is not monitored after business hours. Please do not use in emergencies.
You do NOT need to have any prior training or experience in providing mental health support services. JagsCARE interventions will sometimes take place outside of normal business hours, to help ensure that impacted people are able to attend. The actual time commitment varies by semester, depending on the number of incidents that occur.
Counseling and Psychological Services will offer JagsCARE training during the academic year. If you are interested in participating—or have questions before deciding—please reach out to:
JagsCARE team members are IU Indianapolis faculty and staff members. They receive regular training and support from our Counseling and Psychological Services team.
Anyone in our campus community can request and receive support from the JagsCARE team, including students, faculty, staff, emergency workers, and/or family members of those affected by the critical incident.
JagsCARE interventions and support aim to help individuals:
You have experienced an unusually stressful and traumatic event. In such situations, our typical coping mechanisms may be overwhelmed. Those things you usually do to manage daily stressors may simply not work. You may experience symptoms of distress and impaired functioning that you have never experienced before.
A critical incident occurs when an individual experiences or witnesses a threat to or loss of life, emotional safety, or way of living. Critical incidents have a profound impact on how we view the world. Thoughts, emotions, and actions surrounding the event are often difficult to recall and a sense of confusion may result. You may feel:
Some people may also have difficulty sleeping, a decreased appetite, and other physical symptoms. You may struggle to focus, concentrate, and complete tasks.
Regarding the event, you may experience:
Traumatic events are often accompanied by death or loss of community, relationships, or sense of safety. Everyone feels grief in their own way, and there is no "right way" to grieve. Individual grief reactions may also differ depending on the nature of the loss (e.g., expected vs. unexpected, traumatic vs. "natural"). Grief can be described by five stages:
Not everyone experiences all these stages. Most people don't experience them in a specific order, rather go back and forth between stages. People who are grieving may shift between crying spells, anger, questioning, and numbness within a day or within a few minutes.
It is important to pay attention to what you need as you emerge from such a significant experience.
Take a break. Your body and mind need time away from the event to heal. Limit the amount of time that you watch details about the tragedy on TV.
Avoid excessive substance use. Drugs or alcohol may dull the pain in the moment, but they ultimately make post-trauma symptoms worse. Caffeine is an initial stimulant that may contribute to anxiety and set you up for a bigger let down.
Eat and rest. Even though you may not feel like it, you need rest and energy to face the days ahead. Avoid excessive sweets and drink plenty of water.
Connect with people. Talking to people and being around others helps you to reconnect to the world. Seek out persons who care for and support you. Share your reactions, thoughts and how the experience impacted you, or talk about other things—just find ways to connect.
Exercise. To help your body expend some of the nervous energy. Don't overdo it. You may be more tired than you realize.
Establish a routine. Research indicates keeping focused on day-to-day tasks or routines helps mitigate the effects of stress. Structure will help you maintain focus and a sense of purpose and provide a needed mental break from the event.
Give yourself permission to think and feel. Acknowledging and expressing your own unique thoughts and feelings are essential elements of coping and healing. If you aren't comfortable talking with others, consider using art, such as drawings or poetry, or writing a journal.
Practice and implement relaxation techniques. This will reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. Examples include deep breathing, muscle relaxations, visualization, and meditation.
Engage in helping others. Consider sending donations, cards, or other types of support to relief efforts or those most directly impacted by the event. Helping others often is the healthiest way to manage our own feelings of powerlessness.
Reach out. Talk to a peer support person, mental health professional, or religious/spiritual leader. Other aids may include meditation, reading, spiritual reflection, or involvement in support groups.
Find your new normal. Begin to engage in daily activities. You won't forget what you experienced—it’s now a part of your life. It’s important to recall what your life was like before the event and determine where you want to be in the future. All of this together will help you to find your new normal.
Counseling and Psychological Services
CAPS provides a full range of clinical mental health services and support to students, as well as crisis stabilization and referral for faculty and staff.
Contact CAPS: 317-274-2548 or capsindy@iu.edu
Office location: Lockefield Village, second floor, 980 Indiana Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202
Employee Assistance Program
EAP is available to IU employees and family members and is designed to help you address life’s challenges through free, 24/7 access to professional counseling, resources, and referrals.
They can provide short-term assistance for issues such as grief and loss, work-related pressures, stress, depression, or anxiety, and can connect you with ongoing care as needed. See more information on this program and how to get started.
Dean of Students Office
The Dean of Students Office works to maintain a positive and educationally supportive campus community, coordinates the Behavioral Consultation Team, and engages in campus emergency planning and response.
Contact the office at 317-274-4431.
Student Advocacy and Support
This team helps students solve problems by offering objective consultation, promoting self-advocacy, and providing information on campus and community resources.
Call 317-274-4431 or email stuadvoc@iu.edu.
Connect2Help
This is an information and referral network for human services, such as food, housing, health care, support goods, clothing, shelter, legal aid, and much more.
Call 211 or visit the following web links for services: www.connect2help.org or in211.communityos.org
IU Indianapolis Police Dispatch
Non-emergency number: 317-274-2058
Email: police@iu.edu
Safety Walk Escorts on Campus: 317-274-7233(SAFE)
Critical Threat Assessment Team: 317-274-7911
24-hour crisis numbers
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: | 988 or 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) |
Crisis Text Line: | Text HOME to 741741 |
National Domestic Violence Hotline: | 1-800-799-7233 |
National Sexual Assault Hotline: | 1-800-656-4673 |
Veterans Crisis Line: | Text 838255 or 988 then Press 1 |
Trevor Project Crisis Support (LGBT): | Text START to 678678 or 1-866-488-7386 |
Aspire Indiana | 800-560-4038 |
Crisis and Suicide Hotline | 317-251-7575 |
