As a Faculty or Staff Member, You Can Help!
- Students experiencing distress may turn to you for help, due to your position, status and visibility on campus.
- You may also find yourself in a situation where a distressed student needs assistance.
- Your response in these situations could significantly impact the student’s ability to deal constructively with her or his problems.
Your Role:
First, staying calm, and being willing to help, knowing whom to call is important in any of these situations. You may choose to approach the student or the student may seek your help with a problem. Below are some suggestions that might help you deal with a distressed student.
Listening and talking (at all levels):
- Demonstrate your respect for the student by talking to the student when both of you have sufficient time and are in a private place free from disturbance by others
- Be matter-of-fact. Controlling your emotions may help the student to do the same
- Give the student your undivided attention
- Express concern for the student in clear, direct, behavioral, non-judgmental terms (e.g., “I’ve noticed you’ve been absent from class lately, and I’m concerned,” rather than “Why haven’t you been in class?” or “Where have you been lately?”)
- Listen in a respectful, non-threatening way to the student’s description of the problems. Let the student talk
- Convey support and understanding by summarizing what you hear the student saying by including both content and feelings (“It sounds as if the experience of moving away from home was a big change and now you’re feeling lonely and isolated.”)