There are both more and less effective ways to refer a student for counseling. Following the guidelines suggested below should help concerned others initiate and complete a successful referral to our center.
- Express your concern directly to the student. Be respectful, honest and straightforward in your language about the emotional health issues that you are noticing. Avoid belittling them or communicating pity. Remember that they are just not feeling well; otherwise they’re just like you.
- Check your own attitude about mental health services. If you see it as a negative thing chances are good the student will perceive that as well. Encourage them in this positive undertaking and ask them to call 348-3863 to set an appointment. They can call from your room or office, or you can offer to call for them. If you call please be aware that we don’t allow third parties to set an appointment, but you can get the process started and then hand the phone to the student. You can also offer to walk the student to our center to set the first appointment.
- You may call us first yourself if you have questions about our services or about communicating with the student. If you wish to report your concerns to us, please take great care to stay close to the facts as you know them. Steer clear of rumors, hearsay, or gossip, or at least identify it as such. A factual report leads to the best interventions and outcomes. False reports can lead to negative events for both the student and for you, including civil court proceedings and Judicial Affairs sanctions.
- In some cases we will recommend that you meet with the student and give you suggestions about what and how to communicate with him or her. From the student’s point of view, such an encounter is logical because you are known to them and they can understand why you might be concerned. Due to normal anxieties it is natural for you to feel an urge to disengage from the situation, but doing so is less than ideal. Try to stay engaged for the short period that is needed. After that, we or others will take over and assume responsibility for further assessment, counseling, or referral. Some feel they either don’t have the right to “intrude” into students’ personal lives, or feel they should avoid any responsibility for information they obtain about them. In our view, neither perspective is reasonable. Expressing concern for others based on observable behavior is not a violation of privacy, and once you inform others who are in a position to help, you have discharged responsibility you have for the information you obtained. This does not mean, however, that you should not remain involved to some degree, as noted above. Faculty and Staff members may see the FERPA Fact Sheet for other information on this topic.
- In cases in which there is not an emergency or a life-threatening issue, one cannot “force” a student into counseling. One can only encourage it and keep monitoring the situation. Attempting to coerce or “trick” such students into counseling can backfire horribly; they may come to see counseling as negative and you as manipulative, thereby losing trust and faith in both. If they do pursue counseling on their own, it is highly important they feel a sense of privacy and a good measure of control over their affairs.
- This does not mean, however, that you should never give a student an ultimatum about changing their behavior. Some parents or authority figures should consider doing so if the behavior in question is self-destructive or disruptive for others. The key in this scenario is “behavior change”, and this can occur both in and out of the context of counseling. Counseling can be a useful mechanism of behavior change, but it isn’t the only one. Sometimes parents, for example, may tell their student that they will withhold funding for school if they do not change failing grades, repeated alcohol violations, etc, and add that counseling is one way they can work on this. This can be quite effective when done well.
- In emergency situations be mindful of your and others’ safety. If safety appears to be an imminent concern, call 911 or UAPD at 348-5454. See Interacting with Distressed Students for more information about this topic. If safety is not an issue but the student is in an acute crisis with obvious signs of distress, a counselor can come to the scene to assist. Be aware that our policy in such circumstances is to have a police officer with us, in the event that there is an escalation of disruptive or aggressive behavior.