How To Help A Distressed Student
If you have a friend, roommate, or student who is feeling stressed, please encourage them to:
- Call the Counseling Center at 336-750-3270.
- Make an online appointment using Bookings.
- Call the Campus Police at 336-750-2900 or 336-750-2911 if it is a life-threatening emergency.
Take Notice of the Signs of a Student in Distress :
- References to suicide (written or verbal)
- Noted isolation from friends, classmates or other support persons
- Marked change in behavior
- Listlessness, lack of energy
- Impaired speech or garbled, disjointed thoughts
- High levels of irritability, unruly or abusive behavior
- Students who appear overly nervous, tense or tearful
- Anxiety, stress, depression
- Marked inability to make decisions
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Normal emotions displayed to an extreme degree or for a prolonged period
- Threat to others
- Marked changes in personal hygiene
- Dramatic weight loss or change
Take Action to Help a Student in Distress
- Request to speak with the student in private.
- Express your concern for the student in a direct, non-judgmental and straightforward manner.
- Openly acknowledge the specific behaviors that you have observed that are of concern to you.
- Listen carefully and be empathetic.
- Avoid criticizing or sounding judgmental.
- Try not to make agreements with the student that isolate you in dealing with the problem.
- Consider the Counseling Center as a resource and discuss a referral with the student. Our services are confidential and free of charge for students.
- If the student refuses to make an appointment and you are concerned, contact the Counseling Center to discuss your concern.
How to Notify the Counseling Center of a Student in Distress
To notify the Counseling Center of a student in distress please complete the Behavioral Referral form