Supporting Students - Information for staff

• Mental Health Advice - Mental Health Advisors (MHA's) can provide support in a crisis and one-to-one emotional support. They can support students in liaising with appropriate external support and provide positive mental health promotion
• Disability & Dyslexia - The team can support students to obtain a diagnosis, apply for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA), and create the learning support forms (LSF) to support reasonable adjustments allowing them to succeed in their studies. They also provide specialist mental health and/or autism mentoring, specialist study skills tuition and assistive technology training to students who are eligible 
• Counselling -  Students can self-refer for short-term counselling sessions
• Student Life - The team can provide pastoral and practical support for students experiencing difficulties. They can also signpost to specialist services and liaise with university staff on a student's behalf (e.g. personal tutor)

Examples of non-urgent (moderate concern) would be:

• Anxiety
• Low Mood
• Stress
• Low Confidence
• Low Self-Esteem
• Bereavement

This is when there are ongoing concerns about someone's wellbeing or mental health, but there is no evident risk to the student or others.

If you do have the students consent to share:

• Make the student aware of the Wellbeing Service and the support numbers which can be found further down this page
• Communicate with the student that you will contact the Wellbeing Service to offer them support and complete the Student of Concern referral form (to be completed by staff only)
• The Wellbeing Service will then identify the most appropriate type of support to offer (e.g. pastoral, mental health or counselling)

If you don't have the students consent to share:

• Make the student aware of the Wellbeing Service and the support numbers which can be found further down this page
• Encourage them to seek support from their GP
• Check-in with them to see how they are doing 

Examples of urgent (non-emergency) would be:

• Disclosure of self-harm
• Panic attacks
• Suicidal thoughts, but no plans

This may present as someone who needs support, but is safe from immediate risk.

• Ensure the student is safe - If you are unsure, ask the student directly if they are able to keep themselves safe. Advise them to attend A&E if they feel they are at risk or have an injury, or ask if they have someone who can stay with them to make them feel safer
• Advise GP support - Advise that the student makes an appointment with their GP as soon as possible
• Make the student aware of the Wellbeing Service and the support numbers which can be found further down this page
• If you do have the students consent to share, communicate with them that can support them in submitting a Student of Concern referral form (to be completed by staff only) or you can contact Student Services directly 
• If you don't have the students consent to share, but feel that they are at risk, advise them that you have a duty of care to pass on serious concerns to Student Services 

Examples of where an emergency response would be required:

• Active intention to end life
• Actions taken to end life
• Plan to harm self/others
• Significant injury
• Experiencing significant detachment from reality

This is an emergency or urgent situation with a clear and immediate risk to the student or others.

• If you can, safely communicate with the student that you are going to contact emergency services, however, in an emergency this is not required
• Call emergency services (999)
• If the student is on campus, contact Security (020 8240 4335 or 020 8240 4060 for their emergency line)  to let them know emergency services have been called and where they need to be sent to
• Inform Student Services so follow-up support can be arranged. 

When talking with a student who may be looking to you for support and guidance, it is important to maintain boundaries. It can be easy to want to help a student as much as possible, but its also beneficial for both the student and yourself to maintain some distance and promote independence. Here are some guidelines to help maintain healthy boundaries:

• Don't give out your personal details, such as a personal email, phone number, or information about you such as your address. Instead, give them your work contact details only, or signpost them to the Wellbeing Service. 
• Don't be available to a student 24/7. This will not only impact your own personal time out of work, but may also encourage the student to feel dependant towards you. Instead, arrange scheduled meetings with the student, in work hours and manage the frequency that you meet with them
• Don't make promises you may not be able to keep. For example, don't promise the student you will solve a problem for them. If it turns out you can't, it could be really difficult to manage. Instead, be honest with them about how you can help, and the limits to that help
• Don't feel that you have to deal with the student's problems on your own and exclusively. Instead, whilst empathising and listening to the student, please signpost them to the Wellbeing Service, and we can offer support to the student too

What can you do?

• Listen and offer appropriate support
• Aim to understand the concern from their point of view
• Communicate empathy and a wish to offer support
• Encourage students to seek support elsewhere if needed
• Help direct them to the right service

What can't you do?

• Solve all of their problems
• Know what is right for them without understanding their experiences and methods of coping
• Ignore the situation
• Ensure students will accept help from you or anyone else
• Tell the student what they must do

If you have concerns about a student, you are expected to speak to someone else who can help, rather than keeping these concerns to yourself - this might be your Line Manager or a member of Student Services. 

In the first instance, this can be done without giving a students name. If there may be grounds for more serious concern, you can seek advice from Student Services.

If you feel the student presents a risk to themselves or others, you have a duty to share the information so they can be kept safe.

There may also be situations where a student discloses information regarding a situation that they are struggling with, but that does not pose a risk, e.g.:

• If a student comes to you with some relationship problems, but no risk concerns such as abuse, you can keep this confidential
• If a student tell you they are feeling suicidal, and have a plan in place, they may be at significant risk, so you should share this information with a medical professional 

If in doubt:

If you are really not sure whether to keep something confidential or not, you can always discuss the case anonymously with someone in Student Services. If it is outside of normal university working hours, you should seek help from, or direct them to, emergency services.

You should not promise the student confidentiality. You may need to explain to students that information is kept confidential within your department/service, but that you may need to speak to others if you have concern about a significant risk or serious harm. Where possible it should be done with the students knowledge and/or consent. 

Suicidal feelings can be quite common and it's healthy to be open about feelings. Finding out if a student has intent and/or a plan is key to assessing the risk of a student presenting with suicide ideation. 

• Don't skirt around the topic - there is still a taboo around talking about suicide which can make it harder for people to open up and feel understood. 
• Direct questions about suicide like 'are you having suicidal thoughts?' or 'have you felt like you want to end your life?' can help someone talk about how they are feeling.
• If you are worried someone is feeling suicidal, asking them directly won't make them any more likely to act on it. It can encourage them to be honest about how they are feeling. Many people feel relieved and less isolated when they are asked. 

You can find yourself tiptoeing around the subject because you're scared of saying the wrong thing and you wish you could make everything better. It can help just to say that you're sorry things are hard right now. You don't have to have all the answers' - Mind Charity 

Remember you are not a counsellor or medical professional; your role is to gain enough of an understanding about what the student is going through to provide support and to signpost to professional services where appropriate. 

You should keep a brief note of contact with a student who is cause for concern. Keep this factual (name, date, time, action proposed), and bear in mind you may be asked to refer to this in the future, if the situation deteriorates further. 

It is not only important that students are supported, but that we look after ourselves too. Here are some ways you could access support:

• You can talk to your line manager if you feel stressed or worried about a situation you had with a student
• The university has an Employee Assistance Programme, where you can access counselling and support
• The university also has several Mental Health First Aiders. They are colleagues who are trained to listen and provide emotional support
• Take steps to look after your self-care. Maintaining a health diet and exercise, getting adequate sleep, and being outdoors, all help to improve our mental health

If a staff member comes to you because they are struggling with a situation they have encountered, there are many ways that you can support them. Support might include:

• Acting as a sounding board
• Helping them to set boundaries with students
• Encouraging them to take short breaks after stressful conversations to regroup
• Signposting to sources of support
• Allowing them to do more training if required (see training information below)
• Encourage them to use the Employee Assistance Programme if appropriate
• You may also want to discuss with HR, to find out about tools that are available to support you and them 

• Charlie Waller Memorial Trust - E-learning sessions for supporting students in Higher Education. (free)

• SHOUT - Text SHOUT to 85258 for a 24/7 free, confidential messaging service. This service can be used if students are feeling anxious, depressed, overwhelmed; or if they are experiencing thoughts of substance abuse, self-harming thoughts, suicidal thoughts, or difficulties with relationships
• Samaritans - Anyone can call 116 123 to speak to trained Samaritans volunteers about any concerns, worried or troubles they may have. Again, this service is 24/7 and is free and confidential 
• Stay Alive - An app that can link you directly to local and national crisis services if you feel you are at risk to yourself. This app includes useful resources related to safety planning and coping mechanisms 
• Calm & Headspace - Apps that provide grounding and relaxation techniques, focusing work that allows you to manage your breathing, and also some guided meditations 
• Hub of Hope - This is a great app which can signpost students to a range of support services
• GP - Anyone can contact their GP and ask for an emergency appointment if they are concerned about low-mood, thoughts of self-harm, thoughts of suicide 

Also see our internal support page and external support page for some additional avenues of support relating to sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment and hate crimes.