Faculty:
Staff:
PIC 1: The title card “Responding to a Student in Distress” appears before transitioning to Dr. Knight in the library.
You know how when you have a bruise, and then… you accidently hit the bruise, causing a flash of searing pain. If you didn’t bang that bruise, it wouldn’t really hurt at all.
When students face distress, it’s like that bruise. It might be hidden, but it’s always there, and the smallest thing on the right pressure point can cause them intense emotional pain.
Not every student who needs help asks for it. Students come to us not just for themselves, but also when they’re worried about their peers.
PIC 2: An image appears with a group of shadow students, with a single one in brighter color with steam and angry emoticons over their head.
For instance, a student, Tim, came to me to talk about his friend, Sara.
PIC 3: The same student from last slide, now colored red, stands up and says, “This is a waste of my time!”
Earlier in the day Sara stood up and screamed out to a whole class, “I’m leaving, this is a waste of my time.”
PIC 4: The shadow image of a teacher appears with the words “I understand if there’s somewhere else you need to be.”
Tim felt like the teacher handled it well, saying in a sincere sounding tone, “I understand if there’s somewhere else you need to be.”
PIC 5: The student sits down and says, “Whatever.”
But… he told me that Sara responded by rolling her eyes, groaning, “Whatever,” and slumping back down in her chair.
PIC 6: The screen returns to Dr. Knight in the library.
Tim knew this was all out of character for Sara, so he was worried about her, and asked me to check in on her.
It’s great when students look out for each other like this.
I appreciated Tim’s concerns for his friend, but I also wanted to make sure he was okay, asking, “How are you feeling? Supporting a friend can be emotionally difficult.”
He seemed fine, but taking the opportunity to check in would give him some room to say if he wasn’t. After all, we never really know.
Here are some things I keep in mind when a concerned friend or classmate comes to me.
PIC 7: A slide appears with the following bullet points:
PIC 8: The screen returns to Dr. Knight in the library.
I didn’t know Sara well, but shouting in the middle of class seemed pretty out of character. So, I sent an email to Sara to set up a meeting with her.
When I asked, Tim said it was okay for me to share with Sara that he had come to me out of concern.
If Tim had preferred to remain anonymous, I would’ve left his name out of it.
PIC 9: A message appears from Dr. Knight.
Sara,
Your friend Tim let me know that you have been having a difficult time in class. It might be helpful if we talk about it together.
Please stop by my office.
Best,
Dr. Kelly Knight
PIC 10: The screen returns to Dr. Knight in the library.
I knew Tim was concerned, but I made sure I went in with an open mind, no expectations or judgments about how Sara was doing.
I wanted to hear her perspective and find out what, if anything, was bothering her.
PIC 11: This slide is titled “Specific, observable behaviors,” and includes a conversation between Dr. Knight and Sara.
Dr. Knight says, “I heard you had a moment in class where you said class was a “waste of time.” That seems out of character for you.”
Sara responds, “It was a waste of time. I have so much going on right now I need to be dealing with.”
PIC 12: This slide is titled “Neutral open-ended questions” and includes a continuation of the conversation between Dr. Knight and Sara.
Dr. Knight asks, “What do you feel like you need to be doing?”
Sara responds, “I’m worried about making rent this month. I really need to be picking up shifts at the restaurant, but I can’t because I have too much studying.”
PIC 13: This slide is titled “Empathize” and includes a continuation of the conversation.
Dr. Knight says, “That’s really stressful, to worry about rent while you’re trying to study.”
Sara responds, “It’s just hard for me to concentrate you know, when all I can think about is how I am going to pay for it all.”
PIC 14: This slide is titled “Reflect” and includes a continuation of the conversation.
Dr. Knight says, “You feel like you need to address your financial concerns so that you can focus on your schoolwork.”
Sara responds, “Yeah, I really care about school, but I just don’t know how I can do it all. Any advice?”
PIC 15: This slide is titled “Refer” and includes a continuation of the conversation.
Dr. Knight says, “What do you think about going to talk to the financial aid office? They might have some ideas for grants or scholarships.”
Sara responds, “Sure, but what about my grades?”
Dr. Knight says, “For academic concerns, do you think it would be helpful to go to the tutoring center? They can give you some study tips.”
Sara replies, “Yeah, maybe. Thanks for talking through this with me.”
PIC 16: The screen returns to Dr. Knight in the library.
A student, Jessie, came to you because he’s worried about his friend Rama.
They were in class working on a group project together, and Rama started yelling at him.
You’re going to get a chance now to practice having a conversation like this.
PIC 17: The library fades away and is replaced by a slide which has a picture of Ms. Singh and one of Rama titled “Follow-Up with Rama.”
Now, you’ll follow up with Rama to see if anything is bothering him.
PIC 18: The scene shifts to one where Rama and Ms. Singh sit across from each other, titled “Scenario: Talk with Rama.” Underneath it describes “Your Goal.”
Talk with Jesse, Rama’s friend who is concerned with him following an in-class incident. Then, follow up with Rama, and, if needed, connect him with support.
PIC 19: The next slide describes the different techniques that can be used in this scenario.
Techniques: