Faculty and staff are often in a unique position to notice when a student is experiencing problems. Your ability to recognize signs of serious distress and willingness to acknowledge student concerns play a significant role in assisting students in need. You can quickly and directly resolve problems that negatively impact a student’s academic success. Our office offers many services for students across all dimensions of their well-being. With faculty assistance, we can safely connect students to resources resulting in personal safety and development, while also supporting their success toward degree completion.
Guidance can be found online for Recognizing and Assisting Students in Distress. This guide is a comprehensive tool to help you support and refer students in times of need. Please carefully review each page, noting an emphasis on bringing in mental health and public safety resources when appropriate. We encourage you to reach out to the listed campus resources if you have questions or need to consult. The student well-being website also continues to be a central portal to student health and well-being resources across all divisions and campuses.
Referring a Student
When you determine that a student is in need of help that you are not equipped to provide, a referral is warranted. While many students seek help on their own, some students may not be familiar with the resources on campus, they may not view their problem as serious enough to warrant professional help, or they may be hesitant to take the first step. Our office recommends considering the following when working with a student in this situation:
- Be honest with the student about the limits of your time and ability to help.
- Let the student know that you think that assistance from another resource on campus could be very helpful to them.
- Assure the student that they are not alone and that many students seek help over the course of their college careers.
- Assist the student in choosing the most appropriate referral source. If you’re not sure, start with us. · You can refer a student by filling out our CARE referral form online, or emailing our Case Managers directly.
- If the student is reluctant to seek help, ask them to think about your recommendation and follow up with them to see how they are doing in one week.
- In an emergency, when there is imminent danger of physical harm to self and/or others, disabling emotional distress, and/or gross impairment in thinking, you may need to involve JHU Public Safety or the JHU Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team (BHCST) to assist you.
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