Faculty and Staff

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A Unique Role…

Faculty and staff play a unique and central role in the lives of St. Lawrence University students.  Through regular and frequent contact with students, either in the classroom, conducting research, advising, experiential learning/travel, or assisting in another helping capacity, faculty and staff can develop a significant and lasting rapport that usually impacts our students in a very meaningful and profound way.  As such, our students commonly develop a level of comfort and trust with faculty and staff, and can see them as mentors and confidantes.  Within this relationship, faculty-staff have a unique opportunity to influence or intervene in a very beneficial way, and can provide valuable impetus for a student to seek out and engage in the therapeutic or counseling support process. 

When to Help…

When a student has entered into a level of distress that requires timely and direct intervention, they will usually show warning signs (emotional, social, behavioral, physical, and/or academic).  When multiple warning signs are noticed in an individual, the level of concern/urgency increases.

Emotional Signs

  • Sadness, anxiety, tension
  • Showing little or no emotion
  • Unexpected outbursts
  • Constantly angry or irritable
  • Expressing hopelessness

Social Signs

  • Isolating/withdrawing from others
  • Disrupts classroom conversations
  • Little or no participation in discussions
  • Avoidant social behavior
  • Increase in social conflicts
  • Drastic changes in social behavior

Behavioral Signs

  • Appears tired and listless
  • Sleeps more or less than usual
  • Hyperactive
  • Excessive procrastination
  • Indications of Substance Abuse
  • Overly dependent on others
  • References to death/suicide

Physical Signs

  • Decline in personal hygiene
  • Dramatic weight gain or loss
  • Unusual body posture (tense, rigid, slumped, spasms)
  • Catatonic or non-responsive
  • Rapid or disorganized speech

 

Academic Signs

  • Unusual/disturbing Content in writing
  • Noticeable drop in grades
  • Turns in assignments late or not at all
  • Regularly late or misses classes
  • Disruptive classroom behavior

Things to Keep in Mind When Offering Help…

  • Convey unconditional positive regard
  • Be honest
  • Establish trust/safety
  • Discuss options
  • Offer support throughout the process
  • Don’t make promises you can’t keep
  • Call for help in emergencies

How to Help…

You are most likely providing a degree of support and reassurance as you are listening to a student open up and share their personal circumstances that have created stress.  However, there are times when it is prudent to connect a student with professional counseling to help facilitate a resolution to the problem or crisis situation.

When to Refer to Counseling

  • You sense the student is experiencing significant academic or personal distress
  • The student has asked you for help that is beyond the scope of your abilities
  • The student has become too dependent and is relying on you too much
  • You notice strange or inappropriate behavior
  • You feel uncomfortable, for any reason, in your exchanges with the student

 

How to Refer to Counseling  

  • Help the student make an appointment by phone.
  • Walk with the student to the Health and Counseling Center to help make an appointment.
  • Ask the student’s permission to share the situation with the Counseling Center for a consultation, if the student quite ready to make an appointment.
  • Remind student of our Crisis & Counseling Helpline – 315-229-1914

In the Event of an Urgent Situation or Crisis:

  • Call Campus Safety at 315-229-5555 if student is on-campus.
  • Call 911 if student is off-campus.
  • After calling either Campus Safety or 911, please notify the Counseling Center (229-5392) of the situation.  You can also report the situation to the Crisis & Counseling Helpline (315-229-1914).

Personal Reactions to Helping a Student in Distress….

Within the faculty-staff/student relationship, students may share personal stories, struggles or dilemmas, as well as more serious and urgent concerns or conditions.   Upon hearing concerns that appear to be more serious and urgent, it is common to experience a range of feelings, including compassion, relief, worry, frustration, anger, fear and even panic.  Depending on the personal experience/history of a faculty or staff member, some reactions, on the one hand, may be quite strong or even feel exaggerated; while on the other hand, some may experience a detachment or even an emotional numbing experience.  A term used in these situations is “vicarious traumatization,” where the engagement with another who is going through or sharing a traumatic experience can cause a secondary trauma (or very real memories of a prior trauma) in the person providing support.   Regardless, listening to the sometimes traumatic or distressing circumstances of students can trigger a strong emotional reaction that should not be ignored.  After helping the student engage in counseling support, we recommend following up with support for yourself, if even to process thoughts and feelings that emerged from the experience.