Getting Help for a Student

Faculty and Staff – Getting Help for a Student

Faculty and staff play a vital role in identifying students who may benefit from the services provided by the Counseling Center.

Call for a Consultation

If you are concerned about a student or situation, and unsure about how to proceed, call the Counseling Center at (603) 358-2437. A counselor will return your call as soon as possible and help you determine an appropriate course of action. Don’t carry it all on your shoulders. Consultations are an important part of our services. Another great resource is the Dean of Students, who chairs the Students of Concern Committee. You can contact the Dean directly or ask your Director or Department Chair to bring a student to the attention of this committee.

You can also bring a student to the attention of the Dean of Students by completing the CARES Referral Form, which you can use anytime you are significantly concerned about the personal safety of a student.

Signs of Distress

Signs of distress that you may recognize in students include:
Excessive absences from class
Marked changes in hygiene
Bizarre behavior, loss of reality
Extreme mood changes
Listlessness, fatigue
Impaired speech and/or confused thoughts
Overt references to suicide

Or you may learn of changes in relationships in students’ lives, which can increase distress. Some examples include:

Death of family member or close friend
Difficulties with romantic relationships
Problems with family, friends, or roommates

Talking to Students

Tips for talking to a student about your concerns:

Express your concern to the student
Be specific about the behaviors that are the cause for your concern
Use “ I “ language that focuses on what you observed
Ask directly how you can best help them
Encourage positive action by helping the student define the problem and generate some coping strategies.
Avoid any temptation to solve the problem

Referring a Student to the Counseling Center

If you think a student should see a counselor:

Be direct with the student about your concerns and recommendations
Suggest counseling and support the student to make an appointment
Offer to call the Counseling Center (603-358-2437) with student present and possibly escort the student to the Counseling Center
Identify yourself/ role when calling. Support the student to speak directly to our receptionist to make an appointment

Things to avoid:

Do not attempt to deceive, trick, or force the student into seeking counseling
Do not make anything else a condition of being in counseling, including any part of a student’s academic standing, opportunities, experiences, grading, and granting syllabus exceptions
Unless it is an emergency, do not escort a student to the Counseling Center without her/his agreement to speak to a counselor

Forcing, tricking, or placing academic conditions on a student to get her/him into counseling is ethically and legally risky, often not helpful, becomes a poor use of time for all parties involved, and has the potential to undermine any benefit that could have come from counseling otherwise.

Confidentiality

When referring students to the Counseling Center, staff and faculty understandably want to know if a student has followed-up with the referral and seen a counselor. Confidentiality laws prohibit us from providing you with any information about a student’s contact, or lack of it, with the Counseling Center, without their written permission. Our strict confidentiality policy can cause frustration for faculty and staff desiring some basic information about students that they have referred. We encourage students who have been referred to check back in with the faculty and staff who have referred them and let them know that they have made or attended an appointment with a counselor. As a concerned person you also can check in with students directly to inquire about their contact with the Counseling Center. Keene State College students are not bound by legal restrictions and are free to disclose any information they choose to share.