Your Role In Assisting Students
Students often turn to those close to them, including faculty and staff, for support and advice. The relationships you form with students, in the university environment, enables you to get to know them in more than their role as students; you learn about them as a person.
How Distressed Students May Come to Your Attention
There are several ways that you may learn that a student is experiencing some emotional or psychological issues.
- A classmate, roommate, friend, or parent of the student communicates with you. What you may hear is, “I’m concerned about them.”
- The student sends you an email or makes a phone call that suggests or directly expresses they are having personal problems.
- You directly observe the student’s behavior or responses in or outside the classroom; this may come in the form of the student’s written work.
- The student approaches you and directly or indirectly communicates to you that a student may have some personal issues they are experiencing.
You may be uncertain about how to proceed. There may be some questions you will want answered before you speak with a student about personal problems. A Counseling Center staff can assist you with these concerns.
- Here’s what I’ve learned, heard, or seen about a student. Should I be concerned?
- What do I say to the student?
- Can someone in the Counseling Center contact the student?
We find that students are more likely to act on a referral when it comes from someone they know personally. If you are not comfortable with doing that, please complete a Student of Concern Report Form, and the CARE team will address the issue.