Student Support Certificate
Faculty & Staff Professional Development
The Student Support Certificate is a series of workshops geared toward teaching staff (especially new instructors and teaching assistants) and non-academic staff who have direct contact with students. These courses aim to enhance the capacity of Trent faculty and staff members to effectively assist students in a variety of situations, and to help create a supportive environment that builds students’ life skills and ability to cope with a range of issues. Another goal of this training is to educate Trent staff and faculty on the services and resources available to Trent students, and to know when and how to refer students to them.
In order to obtain the certificate, individuals must take all five Core Series workshops, and a minimum of four optional workshops (from the "Student Life" or "Students in Difficulty" series listed below). Workshops are 90 minutes unless indicating otherwise. Workshops will be facilitated by Trent staff and faculty members. The workshops in the Core Series will be offered at least once throughout the year. Optional workshops are scheduled to change each term.
*Sessions offered Spring 2021 are marked with an asterisk. All workshops will be virtual via Zoom unless otherwise indicated.
Series of Courses:
A) Core Series (Course Descriptions/Locations/Dates)
- Conflict Resolution with Students
- Respecting Individuals and Supporting Equity*
- Student Development Theory
- Referrals and Resources 101 Including Campus Tour and Confidentiality
- Effective One-on-One Communication with Students
B) Students in Difficulty (Course Descriptions/Locations/Dates)
- safeTALK: Suicide Alertness for Everyone* (3 hours, in person)
- Self-Care for Student Supporters*
- Livingworks START: Online suicide alertness*
- More Feet on the Ground: Mental Health Awareness (online, self-paced)*
- Sexual Violence on Campus: Prevention, Intervention and Survivor Support*
- Advising Students in Academic Jeopardy
- Understanding Mental Health
C) Student Life (Course Descriptions/Locations/Dates)
- All things SAS...as it pertains to you*
- Positive Space Training*
- Students' Career Choices and Transitions
- Supporting Indigenous Students
- Supporting International Students
- Supporting Issues of Multi-faith
- Coaching Students
- First Year Experience
What staff and faculty have said about the Student Support Certificate:
“We all want to see our students succeed, and the tools taught in the workshops help us help them to do just that.”
“I am more aware of current issues, and know a lot of resources to where a student can be referred.”
"The selection of courses I have taken so far help me better see issues from the student perspective, and help me help them better."
“Updated techniques to help a changing student population was most useful.”
For questions about the program, contact the Office of Student Affairs