Assisting Students in Distress
A guide for DSU faculty, staff, and peers to recognize, respond and refer a student in need of assistance.
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As a member of the DSU Community, you may find yourself in a position to observe and recognize changes which signal psychological distress in students. Students often seek out faculty, staff, and peers that they see frequently to share their distress. Or you may even note concerning behavior yourself in observing individuals. However, to be able to identify students in distress or warning signs, having some guidelines for dealing with the situation can be helpful—and being aware of appropriate referral resources that can be of assistance to you will allow you to be more in control of the situation.
Recognize
- Sudden decline in academic performance
- Frequently missing classes or assignments
- Disturbing content in writing or presentations
- Monopolizing class discussion
- Disrupting class (e.g., yelling or cursing)
- Confrontations with peers or instructor
- Repeated requests for special consideration (e.g., deadline extensions, changes in requirements, grade changes)
- Increased illness
- Marked changes in physical appearance (e.g., poor hygiene, sudden weight gain/loss)
- Uncharacteristic behavior indicating loss of contact with reality
- Visibly intoxicated or smelling of alcohol or cannabis
- Rapid speech or excessively anxious or erratic behavior
- Excessive fatigue or sleeping in class
- Observable signs of injury (e.g., facial bruising or cuts)
- Self-disclosure of family problems, financial difficulties, or other personal distress
- Unusual or disproportionate emotional response to situations
- Excessive tearfulness
- Panic reactions
- Uncharacteristically troubled, confused, anxious, irritable, sad, hopeless
- Peers expressing concern for student
- Verbal, written, or implied intent to harm self or others
- Unprovoked anger, hostility, or physical violence (e.g., shoving, grabbing, assaulting, use of weapon)
- Academic assignments dominated by themes of extreme hopelessness, helplessness, isolation, rage, despair, violence, self-injury
- Stalking or harassing
- Reckless, disorderly, or dangerous conduct
- Making threats or disturbing comments via email, text, phone calls
Respond
Use the following to determine the most appropriate response to a student in distress.
As yourself: Is the individual a danger to self or others? Does the individual need immediate assistance?
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The student’s conduct is clearly and/or imminently reckless, disorderly, dangerous, or threatening including self-harm behavior. Call 911 or 988 (National Suicide Helpline) Report the concern |
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The student shows signs of distress, but I am unsure how serious it is. My interaction left me feeling uneasy/concerned for the student. During business hours: Call the Counseling Center to help student schedule an appointment (605-256-5121) or walk the student to our office in the Learning Engagement Center. After-hours and Holidays Call 988 and email counseling.center@dsu.edu |
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I am not concerned for the student’s immediate safety, but the individual is having significant academic or personal issues and could use support. During or after business hours: Help the student request or self-schedule an appointment online via Trojan Connect or walk the student to our office in the Learning Engagement Center. Refer students to Campus Resources. |
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Refer
Help individuals in distress access a support network with these referral tips and resources.
Use active listening
Make eye contact and give your full attention. Restate what the individual says to make sure you understand what is causing their distress.
Clarify your role
Be frank with the individual about your expertise and role. Frame any decision to seek and accept help as an intelligent and wise choice. Emphasize that asking for help is a sign of strength. Respect an individual’s privacy and autonomy without the false promises of confidentiality.
Ask direct questions
Don’t be afraid to directly ask the individual if they are having thoughts of harming themselves or others. By asking, you are NOT instilling the thought.
Give concrete help
Offer to help the individual contact the Counseling Center or walk them to the Counseling Center to schedule an appointment.
Inform your supervisor
Make sure to alert your supervisor/chair about your interaction.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) permits communication about a student of concern in connection with a health and safety emergency.
Mandatory reporting requirements
If a student discloses an incident of sexual or gender-based harassment or assault, it must promptly be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at DSU-TitleIX@dsu.edu.
Resources
Got something on your mind? Need a little extra support? We know adjusting to university life can be stressful. Meeting new people, figuring out where you fit in, wondering how you'll manage everything all at once... it's overwhelming. You'll be relieved to know that DSU also provides personal and confidential assistance on campus through our Counseling Center at no charge to the student. Whether you dealt with emotional difficulties before coming here or they have started to affect you now, we are here to provide support. Our experienced and qualified counseling staff can help.
Disability Services provides assistance for students with a wide range of disabilities. To receive accommodations, students must contact the office and provide documentation of the disability. The coordinator will work with students to set up an appointment to discuss services that can be provided to enhance the learning experiences at DSU. Some of the accommodations Disability Services can provide include Alternative text formats, Sign language interpreters, Assistive technology, Alternative accommodations for exams (for example: testing in a distraction-reduced environment or providing readers for exams), Extended time for testing, and more. Disability Services respects all privacy and treats all personal information with confidentiality. The office may release information to university faculty and staff when a “need to know” is established by Disability Services. The need to know must be based on compelling and legitimate educational reasons for the information disclosure.
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