Faculty Resources

Faculty members are often on the front lines for students in distress. Students will sometimes approach a faculty member about their problems before talking to friends, family, or helping professionals. Click the links below for more information on how you can best assist these students.

• Assisting the Distressed Student
   
• Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Assisting Students in Distress
   
• Assisting Students Who Are Suicidal
   
• Assisting Students Who Are Violent
   
• Outreach & Consultation
   
• Resources From the Scientific Literature
   
• Confidentiality

Things to Remember When Talking to Distressed Students

• Don’t get trapped into advice-giving (e.g., “Why don’t you…?”)
• Let the student (as much as possible) make his/her own decisions.
• Let the student know you are aware he/she is distressed and would like to help.
• Be clear to the student about what specific behaviors concern you such as unusual behavior in class, unwillingness to accept criticism, lack of attention to detail, poor class attendance, etc. Use specific examples when voicing your concern, (e.g., “I was concerned when you fell asleep in class today.”)
• Don’t give flippant answers like “Don’t worry,” “Crying won’t help,” “It’s not that bad,” “I know exactly what you’re feeling,” or “Everything will be better tomorrow.”
• Don’t be afraid of tears. Tears are a natural, healthy way to release emotions.
• Be available to listen and show concern, but refer the student to the Counseling Center or other agency if appropriate.
• Maintain the student's confidentiality. You may choose to share your concerns with the Counseling Center to facilitate a referral, but do not discuss the interaction in public or with other faculty members that do not have a formal "need-to-know."

Some Problems Common to College Students

• Family problems
• Romantic relationship problems
• Academic difficulties
• Substance use
• Stress
• Depression
• Thoughts of suicide
• Physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse
• Relational difficulties with friends/roommates
• Identity concerns
• Sexual issues
• Religious/spiritual issues

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Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Assisting Students in Distress

1. How might I know when a student is in distress?
   Some signs of student distress are social withdrawal, lack of energy, falling asleep in class, inability to concentrate, marked changes in personal hygiene, impaired speech, disjointed thoughts, threats to harm self or others, and marked irritability. Faculty members may observe other behaviors that indicate distress such as frequently missing class, a drop in the quality of academic work, crying in class, or submission of disturbing material in assignments.
   
   The key to recognizing distress is to look for changes in:
   • Behavior
   • Class attendance
   • Quality of work
   • Appearance
      
2. How do I know when to refer?
   Referring others for counseling is an important and sometimes difficult task.
   
   Here are some situations in which a referral is appropriate:
   • The problem is more serious than you feel comfortable with or capable of effectively addressing.
   • You are experiencing stress in your own life and are unable to handle the student's needs.
   • You have talked to the student and helped as much as you can but further assistance is needed.
   • You think that your personal feelings about the student would interfere with your ability to be helpful.
   • The student admits there is a problem but does not want to talk to you about it.
   • The student asks for information or assistance which you are unable to provide.
      
3. Should I accompany the student to the Counseling Center?
   Sometimes offering to accompany a student to the Counseling Center will greatly reduce the student’s anxiety about coming in. If you agree to accompany the student, ask the student if he or she would like you to remain in the waiting room until they are seen by the intake counselor or if they would prefer that you leave.
   
   If the student does not want you to walk him/her over or if you decide this is not an option, it is often helpful to provide the student with a brief description of our walk-in/intake procedure and/or offer to call ahead to advise Counseling Center staff that the student is coming. Please feel free to contact any of our staff members for further information on our walk-in/intake procedure.
    
4. How do I bring up counseling to the student?
   Acknowledge, normalize, and discuss the student's fears and concerns about seeking help. Remind the student that services at the Counseling Center are confidential and free. Point out that a situation does not have to reach crisis proportions for him/her to benefit from professional help. Emphasize that counseling is not an admission of weakness or failure, but in fact, a sign of the strength and courage necessary to face one’s difficulties and acknowledge one's needs for assistance. Offer to accompany the student to the Counseling Center if appropriate. It can also be helpful to mention to the student that a walk-in intake session is not a commitment to therapy. Some students decide that their needs are met in the initial walk-in session, and some students decide that they are not ready to begin counseling at that time.
    
5. Can I consult with the Counseling Center first? What about confidentiality?
   Yes. If you have a concern about a student, feel free to call the Counseling Center and ask to consult with one of our staff members. However, please be aware that while we are happy to accept any information you wish to share, we can neither confirm nor deny whether any student has been seen at the Counseling Center. Furthermore, we cannot release information regarding diagnosis, prognosis, or session contents without the student’s written permission.
    
6. What if the student refuses help?
   While it is important to care about the emotional well-being of students, we cannot make decisions for them. If a student is hesitant about initiating treatment and it is not an emergency, leave him/her the option to refuse treatment for now, but indicate that you may wish to discuss it later. Encourage them to consider options they can do on their own. Let the student know your concerns and leave the "door open" for continued discussion at a later date.
   
   If you think that a student is an imminent danger of harming self or others, contact Campus Safety at 614-8390 or dial 9-1-1 immediately.
    
7. What alternative counseling sources are available to Lee students?
   Please visit the resources section of our website for additional information regarding available resources. Counseling Center staff members are also happy to provide appropriate resource and referral information on an individual basis.
    
8. How do I know if the person I referred received counseling?
   Ask that person. Because counseling is confidential, we cannot inform you if the person of concern came to the Counseling Center or reveal what they talked about. Therefore, the best way to find out if the person came to the Counseling Center is to follow-up with the student yourself.
   
   If you believe that it is vital for us to confirm a student’s attendance, ask the student to sign an Authorization Form. This release will give us permission to confirm with you that they came.
    
9. Why is it necessary to follow-up with the student after his/her visit to the Counseling Center?
   
   • To show your support and interest
   • To make sure that contact was made and that the student is planning to work on the problem with the counselor
   • To assist a student who might not have felt comfortable with the counselor and encourage them to see another counselor or go to another agency for counseling

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Assisting Students Who Are Suicidal

Sometimes a student will talk about committing suicide. These types of statements should always be taken very seriously. It is a myth that people who talk about suicide do not attempt it. In fact, most people who have attempted suicide indeed talk about it first. If you suspect a student may be suicidal, asking will not “plant the idea” or make it more likely that the student will attempt suicide. Most often, students will be relieved that someone is recognizing the extent of their pain.

If a student is suicidal, the student should be encouraged to seek help immediately. If the student refuses to seek services, contact the Counseling Center at 614-8415 (during regular business hours) or call 9-1-1 in emergency situations and after regular business hours.

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Assisting Students Who Are Violent

If a student threatens violence to you or others, please contact Campus Safety at 614-8390 or 9-1-1 immediately. Safety is of utmost importance in these situations.

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Outreach & Consultation

1. Can I consult with the Counseling Center regarding concerns I have about a student, group of students, or interaction I have observed in class?
   Yes. The Counseling Center offers professional consultation services to Lee departments and organizations. We are available to provide consultation on a wide variety of issues. We provide clinical consultation for faculty or staff members with concerns about students who appear to be experiencing personal problems. We also provide consultation for university and community groups on issues such as interpersonal/communication problems and team-building. We will collaborate with you to identify problems and solutions and to improve communication and team-building.
    
2. Can someone from the center do a presentation for my class, organization, or group?
   Yes. Counseling Center staff members are available to present lectures, workshops, and programs to your group, organization, or class on a wide variety of topics such as stress management, relationships, and mental and emotional health issues.
   
   Programs may take a variety of formats such as classroom presentations, workshop for an organization or residence hall, or co-sponsoring of an event open to the student community.
    
3. How do I arrange to have someone from the Counseling Center talk to my class/group/organization about a topic?
   Call the Counseling Center at 614-8415. Please note that due to the time involved in developing a workshop or presentation and because our staff members have schedules that tend to fill up quickly, we will need at least 3 weeks notice of any event with which you would like assistance.

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Resources From the Scientific Literature

Backels, K., & Wheeler, I. (2001). Faculty perceptions of mental health issues among
college students. Journal of College Student Development, 42(2), 173-176.

Benton, S. A., Robertson, J. M., Wen-Chih, T., Newton, F. B., & Benton, S. L. (2003).
Changes in counseling center client problems across 13 years. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34(1), 66-72.

Kadison, R., & DiGeronimo, T. F. (2004). College of the overwhelmed: The campus
mental health crisis and what to do about it. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lamberg, L. (2006). Experts work to prevent college suicides. Journal of the American
Medical Association, 296(5), 502-504.

Schwartz, A. J. (2006). Are college students more disturbed today? Stability in the acuity
and qualitative character of psychopathology of college counseling center clients: 1992-1993 through 2001-2002. Journal of American College Health, 54(6), 327-337.

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