Helping Students in Distress

View resources to help those with stress and anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic.

See a full list of emergency services, mental health organizations and more.

Keep safety in mind. As you interact with a distressed student, maintain a safe distance. Trust your instinct. If danger to you or the student seems imminent, call Public Safety at ext. 5555.

Avoid escalation. Distressed students can sometimes be easily provoked. Avoid responses that are intimidating, threatening or humiliating. Refrain from asserting authority unless you are certain of the student’s mental health status. Distressed students are in need of listening and support.

Ask direct questions. Take a calm and matter-of-fact approach. Ask the student directly if they are under the influence, confused or have thoughts of harming themselves.

Ask open-ended questions. Encourage the student to go further into the subject, beyond yes/no answers. (e.g. “Tell me more about…” and “How have you been feeling since that happened to you?”)

Confirm your understanding of the issue. Respond to the student by reflecting back what they said, but in your own words, to ensure you understand the issue.

Don’t dismiss the student’s perspective. What may seem like a temporary or insignificant issue to you may feel momentous and overwhelming to a student in distress. It may be helpful for you to reflect upon a time in your own life when you experienced something similar. (Remember when you had to juggle school, work and life?)

Avoid labeling the student or his/her behavior. For example, don’t say “You’re an alcoholic” or “You’re high.” Labels can anger the student and reduce the chances that they will acknowledge and address the problem. Maintain the professional nature of a relationship with your student and help him/her understand available options.

Acknowledge the student’s courage to open up. Frame the decision to accept help as being a mature choice. Suggest that a willingness to accept assistance from others, including a counselor, indicates that the student is not running away from problems. Reinforce that speaking to a counselor is a positive and responsible thing to do.

This is especially important to males, as men in our society are encouraged to be independent, keep feelings to themselves and solve problems on their own.

Do not assume you are being manipulated. While it is true that some students appear distressed in order to get attention or relief from responsibility, only a thorough assessment can determine this. Attention-seekers can have serious problems and be in danger, too.

Know your limits. You will be able to assist many distressed students on your own by simply listening and referring them to the Wellness Center. Respect any feelings of discomfort you may have, and focus on getting the student the help they need. Signs that you may be overextending yourself include feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the situation, feeling angry at or afraid of the student, and having thoughts of rescuing the student.

Respect the student’s privacy. Confidentiality is important for trust, so you typically should not share with others what the student has shared with you. In situations involving a serious risk of harm to the person or someone else, don’t promise to keep secrets.

Note: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) does not prevent you from talking to another College employee or office about a student in distress in order to assist the student or protect yourself/class from disruption or threat of violence.