For Faculty and Staff

Students in Distress: A Guide for Faculty, Staff and TAs. Download Guide >>

CMHS Consultations

CMHS staff is available to provide consultations to friends, faculty, staff, or loved ones who are concerned about a Tufts University student.

Confidentiality and Consultations: Please note that, when providing a consultation, we remain obligated to abide by all legal and ethical codes pertaining to client confidentiality. This means that, although we are free to listen to your concerns and provide general guidelines about how to proceed in dealing with a distressed student, we can not divulge any information we may have about the student, including whether or not they have or have not been seen by CMHS. However, we suggest that, if you make a referral for counseling, you follow up directly with the student about whom you have concerns, who can share as much information with you as they are comfortable sharing.

How to respond to an emergency

In an emergency, you may observe any of the following behaviors:

• Suicidal intentions, suicidal statements, or suicide attempts
• Imminent threats or aggressive behavior towards others
• Incoherent or disjointed speech
• Loss of contact with consensual reality, including hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that are not there) and/or ideas or beliefs that are not realistic (delusions)
• Extreme panic
• Demonstrated inability to care for oneself

ANY REFERENCE TO SUICIDE SHOULD BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. IF A STUDENT MENTIONS A SUICIDE INTENTION OR PLAN, AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE IS CRITICAL! DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LEAVE THE STUDENT ALONE.

In an emergency, contact the CMHS counselor-on-call. If you are on campus, call x73030, tell them you are dealing with a mental health crisis, and ask to have the on-call counselor paged. From off campus or a cell phone, dial 617-627-3030. Give them your name, the name of the student in question, your phone number, and your location.

How to help a student in distress

When you are worried about someone in distress, you may feel anxious or helpless, not knowing what to do or say. These feelings are common and natural, and we hope that this section of the Website will give you some ideas about where to start and what to do.

Warning Signs: Start by thinking about what you have observed that is causing you concern. For example, some warning signs that suggest a referral to CMHS is indicated include:

• Depressed or lethargic mood
• Hyperactivity
• Increased or excessive alcohol or drug use
• Sleeping problems (either too much or too little)
• Feeling worthless
• Expressions of hopelessness
• Rambling or incoherent speech
• Social withdrawal
• Self-injury (e.g. cutting or scratching self)
• Apathy
• Inability to concentrate
• Excessive anxiety
• Drastic deterioration in grooming or hygiene

What to Do:

• Find a private place to talk with the student, and arrange to talk when you both have some uninterrupted time.
• Be direct and straightforward, but gentle and supportive in your approach. Tell the student what you have observed, and what your concerns are. Be specific about the behavior you have seen. For example, Lately I've noticed you haven't been going to class, and have been avoiding meals with your friends. You seem to be alone in your room a lot, and when we're together you seem really down. I'm concerned about you and want to talk with you about this.
• Listen carefully to what the student has to say, both thoughts and feelings. Be prepared for the possibility that they may deny there is anything wrong. If that happens, you can let them know that you are there for them if they would like to talk in the future.
• Assuming they do not deny your observations, point out to them that help is available and suggest that they consider personal counseling. You might want to support the student in visiting this website, and in calling for an appointment.
• Follow up with the student later by checking in with them to see how they are doing.