At Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), a proactive, "intrusive" approach to counseling has been developed to identify students who may be at the point of dropping out of classes due to anxiety and frustration. Under this approach, termed the Early Alert Referral System, the advisor takes responsibility for establishing contact with the students and addressing their needs before they become problems or barriers to success. First, the instructor fills out a form and sends it to the Admissions and Records Office if s/he believes the student is experiencing difficulties. If the student is still enrolled in the course, advisors in the Guidance Services Office will attempt to contact the student by phone to inform him/her of the instructor's concern and to let him/her know of the services (e.g., counseling, educational and career advisement, and tutoring) that are available to aid students in resolving difficulties. The instructor is then informed of the outcome of the contact. Since the initiation of the Early Alert Referral System, it has proved to be an effective tool in identifying students with academic or other problems and for referring them to appropriate sources of assistance. During 1984, 383 students were referred through the system. Of these students, 287 subsequently addressed the issues that were interfering with their academic program. Although 109 students withdrew from SFCC, in 92 of these cases, withdrawal was seen as the best course of action given the individual's situation. (HB)