Petition Letter
To the Associate Dean (Academic),
I am appealing to drop PSYC 440 (fall 2021), PSYC 453 (fall 2021), and IDIS 199 (winter 2022).
From October 28th to November 12th, I experienced traumatic events that acutely and severely escalated the symptoms of my chronic disability/mental illness. Prior to these events, I was proactively managing my condition by taking a reduced course load (3 courses in the term), meeting with Student Academic Support Services regularly over the summer, and following the advice I received from healthcare professionals (family doctor, occupational therapist).
After the traumatic events, I had a severe increase in symptoms including being in a non-verbal, catatonic state for 16 days and since then have experienced severe, long-lasting dissociation episodes, flashbacks, suicidal ideation, insomnia, and functional limitations (difficulty managing basic tasks of daily living: eating, sleeping, dressing) - all of which have impeded my ability to engage in academics.
As a direct result of the events and the severe, acute on chronic episode in my mental health, I missed multiple assignments. In PSYC 440, I missed two assignments during my non-verbal, catatonic state (one due November 12th, one due November 19th). In PSYC 453, I submitted an incomplete assignment I had started earlier in the term and was unable to complete the final paper required for completion of the course.
For PSYC 301, the only assignment I had not completed prior to my episode was Lab 3. I was not able to complete this assignment, but handed in the small portion I was able to finish, achieving a grade of 46% compared to the 100% and 95% I received on the PSYC 301 labs completed before my episode. Given the even weight distribution of assignments across the term for PSYC 301, I passed the course despite the impact of my circumstances. In both PSYC 440 and PSYC 453, the bulk of assignment weight is placed at the tail-end of the course with the final presentations and literature review respectively, which is why my situation??s timing disproportionately impacted those courses.
Given the timing of the traumatic events and the duration of my catatonic state, it was not possible for me to drop the PSYC 440 and PSYC 453 courses prior to the drop deadline.
Steps that I took to mitigate the impact of the trauma and recover were: (1) contacting the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region to request to be taken off the waiting list I??d been on since April 2021, (2) calling crisis lines, and (3) moving multiple times to safer locations (from my temporary place of residence in Kingston to a friend??s house, to a safe house, then back to my hometown). This process took multiple weeks from November 16th to December 8th.
In this time, I also disclosed my situation to my managers/directors at my paid and volunteer jobs, and took a leave of absence from both. I communicated with professors, deferred my final exam for PSYC 301 and requested IN grades in PSYC 440 and 453 with the hope of completing my final assignments (due December 8th and December 5th respectively) in the Winter 2022 term.
In Winter 2022, my acute on chronic mental health problems persisted, so I took additional action. I dropped down to 1 course (IDIS 199) and found a trauma therapist (Isabel Thomson; had my first appointment on March 1st, 2022 and have been working with her on a weekly basis since). After my initial assessment with Isabel, she emphasized the importance of restoring my daily functioning and my health, and we agreed that at this time I should take a leave of absence from school to prioritize this. I did not complete any assignments for IDIS 199 given my functional limitations at the time nor write the final exam, but I did complete the midterm. I was unable to complete either of the final projects for PSYC 440 or PSYC 453.
At this point in time, I am still experiencing exacerbated symptoms, however I have an excellent healthcare team to support my recovery and have established a secure environment. I increased my bi-weekly sessions with SASC to weekly sessions starting on March 29th, 2022 and met with my family doctor (Carly Tapp) to get a referral to the Grand River Hospital outpatient psychiatric care centre on April 27th, 2022. I am committed to my treatment, and if my request to drop PSYC 440 (fall 2021), PSYC 443 (fall 2021), and IDIS 199 (winter 2022) is approved, I will retake these courses once I have returned to basic daily functioning and my healthcare team (trauma therapist, SASC counsellor, and family physician) agree that I can be reasonably expected to return to academics.
To support my academic success, I will return as a part-time student (no more than 2 courses per term), meet bi-weekly with a SASS learning advisor, check in regularly with my QSAS advisor, and continue to receive trauma support (weekly sessions with my trauma therapist and weekly or bi-weekly sessions with my SASC counsellor depending on need).
Thank you for considering my request.
Sincerely,
Gwendolyn Gentle
(20079999)
I am appealing to drop PSYC 440 (fall 2021), PSYC 453 (fall 2021), and IDIS 199 (winter 2022).
From October 28th to November 12th, I experienced traumatic events that acutely and severely escalated the symptoms of my chronic disability/mental illness. Prior to these events, I was proactively managing my condition by taking a reduced course load (3 courses in the term), meeting with Student Academic Support Services regularly over the summer, and following the advice I received from healthcare professionals (family doctor, occupational therapist).
After the traumatic events, I had a severe increase in symptoms including being in a non-verbal, catatonic state for 16 days and since then have experienced severe, long-lasting dissociation episodes, flashbacks, suicidal ideation, insomnia, and functional limitations (difficulty managing basic tasks of daily living: eating, sleeping, dressing) - all of which have impeded my ability to engage in academics.
As a direct result of the events and the severe, acute on chronic episode in my mental health, I missed multiple assignments. In PSYC 440, I missed two assignments during my non-verbal, catatonic state (one due November 12th, one due November 19th). In PSYC 453, I submitted an incomplete assignment I had started earlier in the term and was unable to complete the final paper required for completion of the course.
For PSYC 301, the only assignment I had not completed prior to my episode was Lab 3. I was not able to complete this assignment, but handed in the small portion I was able to finish, achieving a grade of 46% compared to the 100% and 95% I received on the PSYC 301 labs completed before my episode. Given the even weight distribution of assignments across the term for PSYC 301, I passed the course despite the impact of my circumstances. In both PSYC 440 and PSYC 453, the bulk of assignment weight is placed at the tail-end of the course with the final presentations and literature review respectively, which is why my situation??s timing disproportionately impacted those courses.
Given the timing of the traumatic events and the duration of my catatonic state, it was not possible for me to drop the PSYC 440 and PSYC 453 courses prior to the drop deadline.
Steps that I took to mitigate the impact of the trauma and recover were: (1) contacting the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region to request to be taken off the waiting list I??d been on since April 2021, (2) calling crisis lines, and (3) moving multiple times to safer locations (from my temporary place of residence in Kingston to a friend??s house, to a safe house, then back to my hometown). This process took multiple weeks from November 16th to December 8th.
In this time, I also disclosed my situation to my managers/directors at my paid and volunteer jobs, and took a leave of absence from both. I communicated with professors, deferred my final exam for PSYC 301 and requested IN grades in PSYC 440 and 453 with the hope of completing my final assignments (due December 8th and December 5th respectively) in the Winter 2022 term.
In Winter 2022, my acute on chronic mental health problems persisted, so I took additional action. I dropped down to 1 course (IDIS 199) and found a trauma therapist (Isabel Thomson; had my first appointment on March 1st, 2022 and have been working with her on a weekly basis since). After my initial assessment with Isabel, she emphasized the importance of restoring my daily functioning and my health, and we agreed that at this time I should take a leave of absence from school to prioritize this. I did not complete any assignments for IDIS 199 given my functional limitations at the time nor write the final exam, but I did complete the midterm. I was unable to complete either of the final projects for PSYC 440 or PSYC 453.
At this point in time, I am still experiencing exacerbated symptoms, however I have an excellent healthcare team to support my recovery and have established a secure environment. I increased my bi-weekly sessions with SASC to weekly sessions starting on March 29th, 2022 and met with my family doctor (Carly Tapp) to get a referral to the Grand River Hospital outpatient psychiatric care centre on April 27th, 2022. I am committed to my treatment, and if my request to drop PSYC 440 (fall 2021), PSYC 443 (fall 2021), and IDIS 199 (winter 2022) is approved, I will retake these courses once I have returned to basic daily functioning and my healthcare team (trauma therapist, SASC counsellor, and family physician) agree that I can be reasonably expected to return to academics.
To support my academic success, I will return as a part-time student (no more than 2 courses per term), meet bi-weekly with a SASS learning advisor, check in regularly with my QSAS advisor, and continue to receive trauma support (weekly sessions with my trauma therapist and weekly or bi-weekly sessions with my SASC counsellor depending on need).
Thank you for considering my request.
Sincerely,
Gwendolyn Gentle
(20079999)