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Referral Information for Concerned Faculty / Staff

Referral Suggestions

If you are concerned about a student's behavior, keep records of all your interactions with the student. Discuss your concerns in private as many people are uncomfortable admitting in public they need help.

Inform the student that you are concerned about their well-being and want to help them solve their problems (from your role as UGA faculty/staff member).

Listen to the student. Often times, simply verbalizing the problem to someone else helps the student to see alternatives they may not have considered. Pay attention to their tone of speech, body language and flow of their thoughts. Are they logical, avoiding questions, etc.?

Be clear to the student about what behaviors concern you (i.e. crying, unusual behavior in class, unwilling to accept criticism, lack of attention to detail, poor class attendance, etc.).

Be clear and direct with your words of concerns and recommendations for actions. Speak from your heart, and be specific and honest with your feedback on how they can improve.

Emphasize that professional counseling is confidential and that no one may see the records without the student's written consent. Throughout your conversation it is a good idea for you to avoid making promises of confidentiality. This is especially true of students making threats to harm themselves, as they often need immediate intervention. These promises may complicate the process of intervention or transfer of care to us.

Inform the student that it is a strength, not a weakness, to get the help that they need. It takes trust and courage to pursue treatment and treatment helps many students with similar problems.

If the student agrees to a referral, ask them to call CAPS to schedule a telephone screening appointment. This can be done in your presence with the student's permission. You may also suggest that the student utilize the crisis walk-in service if they cannot wait for an appointment. If necessary, agree to escort the student to CAPS to ensure he or she is seen. The clinician evaluating the student may welcome information about the student from you if the student will agree to your participation and involvement.

If the student is hesitant about initiating treatment and it is not an emergency, leave them the option to refuse treatment for now, but indicate that you may wish to discuss it later. Encourage them to consider options they can do on their own. Let the student know your concerns and leave the "door open" for continued discussion at a later date.

Maintain the student's confidentiality (while avoiding promises of confidentiality mentioned above). You may share your concerns with the counselor to facilitate the referral, but don't discuss the interaction in public or with other faculty members that don't have a formal "need-to-know". The student may provide different information to the counselor than they have to you.

Follow-up with the student after the CAPS contact:

• It is important to show your support and interest
• To make sure that contact was made and that the student is planning to work on the problem with the counselor
• If the student did not "fit" or feel comfortable with the counselor, encourage them to see another counselor or go to another agency for counseling