Case Study: Stress and Anxiety Prevention on the campus of James Madison University

 

Community Partner: James Madison University Counseling Center and JMU’s Basketball Coach

 

Group Members: Eunjin Kim, Mirella Lopez, John Moss

 

Case Study: Brandon Avery is a junior basketball player at James Madison University. He is one of the top players on his team and on top of that, he has a 3.8 G.P.A. He is studying to become an Occupational Therapist, which requires him to take some hard classes such as Anatomy and Physiology. He finds it difficult at times to study for these classes because he also has to go to practice and worry about his team.  He often goes to sleep late at night and sometimes only get three hours of sleep because of how much he has to study. Brandon also has a part-time job as a server and is also volunteering to complete his required hours for his minor. He feels very stressed out because of how much he has going on and knows that he needs to reach out to the Counseling Center and his Coach but since he is the star player on the team, the social stigma that surface around campus, especially on the team, will make him feel weak and embarrassed.

One day, the Royal Dukes had just won a tough game against Hofstra University. Brandon was the MVP of the game because he carried the team to victory. After the team had left the locker room, Brandon was left there by himself because he told his teammates how he wanted to reflect on the game. Little did he know, his coach was there and saw Brandon having a panic attack. His Coach intervened and wanted to know what he could do for Brandon. Brandon told his Coach about his mental barrier which caused the Coach to be more proactive in seeking resources for Brandon. After having this conversation with the Coach, he found it very difficult to leave out the locker room because he did not want to let anyone see him in this state of condition. When he finally did leave the locker room, the next day in class was difficult for him. He found it very hard to concentrate. His professor saw a change in his personality and referred him to the Counseling Center. Brandon did not want to go to the Counseling Center because he felt scared that they would dehumanize him as a man and also believes that the Counseling Center will not do much to help him out with his stress.

Is it ethical for the coach to contact the counseling center after having a private discussion with Brandon about his levels of stress and anxiety or let Brandon self-treat himself without humiliation from his peers.

    
 

Why is this Case Study Important?:

• Our case study is important because the situation that happened with Brandon could happen with any college student. In college, you are going to experience high levels of stress and anxiety and may not know how to deal with them. The objective of our case study is to provide students who may suffer from stress and anxiety and inform them about a resource on the campus of James Madison University that is willing them help.

• Our case study is also important because it displays the importance of reaching out to services offered by JMU in order to deal with the emotional problems that students face.

 

The outcome of case study:

To teach college students about the importance of seeking treatment for mental problems and health conditions that could be affecting their academic success and to encourage them to use the resources provided by the school. These resources are not exclusively limited to the Counseling Center but could also include yoga or meditation classes to alleviate stress and anxiety. Not only can a university resource be effective, but one’s peers can help as well. The overall purpose is to promote the significance of stress outlets for students so that their academic prosperity aren’t deterred by these mental conditions.

 

Discussion Prompts:

1. By being on a sports team, you develop friendships that are not breakable. Do you think that Brandon should have told his teammates before going to the Counseling Center regardless of the outcome or going to the Counseling Center and then telling his teammates was more beneficial?  

2. What is the most important 8 key question regarding this case study?

3. If the basketball coach was related to Brandon, would it be ethical for him to contact the Counseling Center without Brandon’s informed consent?

4. If Brandon commits suicide and the Coach knew about Brandon’s past suicidal attempts but did not inform his higher authority due to their confidentiality, would he still be held accountable for Brandon’s death?

 

Two ethical decision-making models with implementation:

There are a number of ethical models that we could have used when tackling this ethical dilemma. The Utility Model is one and the main focus of this model is to focus on outcomes involving everyone in the given situation. Also, the goal of this model is to capitalize the good and to minimize the bad so the population will come out larger than expected. Turning this model into reality, discussion prompt 1-4 would need this model in order to have an effective conversation. Not only is the Utility Model useful but also the Virtue Model. This model can determine if a decision is ethical if it involves the individual’s human virtue. This model can relate to the eight key question character because it focuses on the kind of person the individual is and want to be. Turning this model into a reality, discussion prompt 1-4 can also be used to not only predict Brandon’s future but also a way to discover Brandon’s personality. If Brandon is internally a sane human being, then his retaliation, will not be negative. On the other hand, if Brandon is an individual who is aggressive, then he will respond negatively. Students should look at the bigger picture of the situation to understand the obstacles that Brandon faces.