Respect for human dignity and diversity creates psychological safety for students to share their concerns. Remember, as a staff member, a power differential always exists in relationships to our students.
Staff supporting students Mental Health Toolkit
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Take home messages
Creating the environment and encouraging open conversations
No matter what you’re faced with, you are more likely to have a positive outcome when dealing with a distressed student if you are able to create an environment which encourages open conversation. When a student feels safe, they are more likely to speak openly about their concerns, and having an accurate picture helps you to make suitable referrals.
It is worth setting aside the time to reflect on your own strengths in the area of listening skills and to identify other areas which may need further improvement.
An approach to basic listening skills
Self-awareness, values and role clarity work together to provide foundations for effective listening, responding and referral.
Tune into your current context and clarify the student's needs.
In non-urgent situations, think about your options when approached by a student. Does the student have a quick question about their course, or do they need more time to discuss a personal issue?
Provide a safe space – both physically and emotionally.
Will you arrange an office or zoom appointment or sit outside with the student where they feel more at ease?
Be aware of your own reactions.
You can ‘ground’ yourself by noticing your feet on the floor, or by slowing your own breathing. Sometimes it takes inner effort or ‘emotional labour’ to process emotions shared by a highly distressed person.
If ever you feel threatened, trust your instincts.
An experienced colleague from the library recently advised “act early to set limits on any unacceptable behaviour”’ For example, state “I want to listen to your concerns, but I need you to lower your voice and slow down.”
We each have personal biases and buttons that operate at times.
Which student behaviours ‘press’ your buttons? Students who are rude, demanding or crying? Those at risk of harm?
Be mindful of self-care.
If a student approaches you to talk about an issue which resonates with your own personal experiences such as losing a loved one. Generally, it’s wise to maintain your own privacy and avoid saying ‘I know what you’re going through’.
Prepare ahead to respond effectively.
By getting enough sleep and rest, eating well and exercising. Also, by continuing to develop relevant skills, rehearsing ahead and seeking mentoring and support.
Values guide our professional stance and the quality of skilled helping.
At The University of Newcastle we are committed to the values of our Code of Conduct(57 KB, PDF) :respect, honesty, fairness, trustworthiness and accountability.
Similar values drive skilled-helping dialogues. In Gerard Egan's ‘skilled helper model’ he identifies these values as:
- Respect - not judging.
- Empathy - appreciating diversity.
- Genuineness - being real in your role.
- Empowerment - trusting the person’s resourcefulness.
Role clarity, teamwork, and University of Newcastle's policies and procedures, provide a clear framework for ‘skilled-helping’ responses.
Role clarity
- Be clear about the boundaries of your role in supporting student mental health - This will be to recognise the student is in distress and refer them for support.
- University systems, policies and procedures provide the underlying structure we need to make effective referrals.
- If you think a student is relying on you excessively, discuss your concerns with your manager.
Teamwork
- We are part of a team, able to share responsibility and support one another.
- Consultation is readily available with colleagues from Student Wellbeing.
- You can de-identify sensitive personal information or the student may give explicit consent to discuss their concerns. Be specific to whom you will consult about what.
A working alliance
- Good listening skills enhance trust and build rapport.
- Students will appreciate your efforts.
- you’ll have a clearer picture to make a more accurate referral.
Good listening skills enhance trust and build rapport. Students will appreciate your efforts, and you’ll have a clearer picture to make a more accurate referral. This saves time and resources!
Visibly tuning in
- Give your whole attention without constant distractions.
- Non-verbal cues (tone of voice and body language) convey most of your message.
- Students will feel safer and more settled when your verbal and non-verbal cues are congruent.
- Don’t forget to allow space for silence.
Active listening
- Listen with interest to both non-verbal and verbal messages from your student.
- Check your understanding of their key concerns and feelings by paraphrasing what you’ve observed and heard.
- For some more tips about How to be a great listener.
Asking questions
Focus on these types of questions:
- Open - "How are you finding the course?"
- Closed - "Do you want to change tutorial group?"
- Clarifying - "When did you first register with AccessAbility?"
Other questions could include:
- What would you like to focus on?
- What do you need?
- What happened?
- How did that affect you?
- How did you respond?
- What solutions (if any, have you already tried), and what worked best for you?
- What is your perspective now?
Sharing empathy
Sharing empathy occurs when a person feels understood without being judged.
- To hear more about empathy, listen to Dr Riess, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, talk about The power of empathy.
- Dr Brené Brown, Professor at University of Houston also reminds us about the difference between empathy and sympathy.
Summarising
When you summarise the student’s key concerns, sometimes this is enough.
“Your aim is to redo the last experiment if we can get more cells in time and then you’re hoping to submit your abstract but you need me to sign an express order. I’ll sign the order now. We’ll meet again on Tuesday and in the meantime you’re going to make an appointment with your GP to talk about your sleep”.
Decision to open a consultation
It's easier to respond to a distressed or disturbed student after class when you’re not rushing to the next meeting or leaving to collect your children from school.
So, it’s worth pausing, taking a slow breath, and deciding:
- Can I listen now? Do I have the time and expertise?
- If this is not the right time, inform the student directly.
- You may decide to arrange another meeting time or contact a colleague to help them now if they’re in crisis.
Ammend the following message: “I know you’re really stressed and need help with your maths questions but I’m unable to assist you right now. How about we meet at 9am tomorrow before your tutorial? And I think the maths clinic is open this afternoon if you’d like to consult the tutors there in the meantime.”
If you think the student needs assistance immediately, follow emergency procedures.
Opening a consultation
- Be warm and welcoming, clear about the limits of confidentiality and how you can assist the student according to your role.
- Assess the student needs.
- Help them to explore their issues and concerns.
- You might need to draw their story out or gently interrupt to acquire relevant facts.
- The student may not be entirely clear about their problem or goal.
- Consider what you already know about the facts and summarise your understanding.
Provide relevant information and referrals
- Sometimes listening to the student’s concerns is all that is required.
- Other times, they may appreciate help to identify their short-term goal, initial plan and first step.
- What’s their hope and priority at this point?
- What strength, skills and supports have been useful to them in the past?
- Provide relevant information to assist them to generate solutions.
- Make appropriate referrals and signpost key contacts and services.
Closing the consultation
- Summarise the student’s plan, and next step as well as what you will do.
- Clearly reiterate any important information and offer written material to take away.
- Decide whether you need to follow up with the student about their progress and negotiate arrangements. For example, catch up after next tutorial, student to email you in two weeks.
- Normalise the student’s concerns, resourcefulness and help-seeking.
- Don’t hesitate to consult colleagues for advice and debriefing.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.