Supporting a Student in Need
Friends and Family Supporting Students
Staff and Faculty Supporting Students
Supporting Students in Crisis
Friends and Family Supporting Students
Trent Counselling Services encourages all students to get in touch with us directly. If you believe a Trent student might be in need of support and want to help them access Counselling Services, here are some helpful tips:
- Make sure you know your own boundaries: in what ways are you willing to help? In what ways are you not willing to help? What feels comfortable for you?
- Let this student know that you care and that there are resources on campus to help support them if they are interested. Refer to our Mental Health Resources for more information on available options.
- Let the student know about our website with various information, resources, and our availability.
- For more information about connecting students to counselling, you can contact us directly. Please note that we can speak in general terms, though if you identify the student we will be transparent with them about the contact.
- Above all, if you are a Trent student supporting another person with their mental health, please remember that Counselling Services is also available to support your own mental well-being.
Staff and Faculty Supporting Students
If you have a concern about the mental health of one of your students, you can refer them to our website for more information about available mental health resources. For more information, see Tips for Supporting Students in Distress. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us directly.
Some signs to look out for:
- A change in behaviour such as suddenly missing classes, assignments or tests. This might also include a change in personal hygiene, decrease in quality of work, or seemingly sudden emotional outbursts
- Mention of sadness, conflict, anxiety, violence, despair, and/or challenges in mental health in conversation, emails, or assignments
- Extreme responses to grades or course requirements or extreme perfectionism
- Apparent intoxication at inappropriate times (e.g. during class, meetings, etc.)
More Feet on the Ground
More Feet on the Ground is an online training program for staff and faculty on post-secondary campuses. The program is designed to train the professional college and university community on how to support students with mental health concerns. For more information, visit the Human Resources Learning & Development page or visit More Feet on the Ground.
Supporting Students in Crisis
Counselling Services has a Crisis Response Counsellor available during regular office hours to support students who are in crisis, however not all cases are a good fit for this type of support. If you are concerned that a student is experiencing a mental health crisis, you can visit our Crisis Resources page for a variety of urgent support options, or contact our office directly to discuss with our team.
Trent Counselling Services is not an emergency service. Students may not be able to connect with a counsellor immediately. If you are concerned a student might be in immediate danger of hurting themselves, contact Trent Security at 705-748-1333 or 911.
Some signs that a student may be in crisis:
- Apparent excessive distress from which the student appears unable to calm down
- Discussion or signs of self-harm (including physical injury, withholding food, excessive exercise, etc.), suicidal thoughts, a desire to die, or a desire to harm others in conversation or in course assignments
- Dramatic and rapid change in appearance, personal hygiene, or behaviour
- Erratic, unsafe behaviours including: delusional thinking, hallucinations, extreme paranoia, or risk-taking
- Giving away of personal possessions or discussion of “going away” or “not being here” in the near future