The School Student Support and Guidance Tutor (SSGT) is likely to be the main point of contact with Student Services, but if they are unavailable you can contact the relevant service at any time for advice on referring a student for specialist support, even if you are unsure about whether they can help. They can usually point you in the right direction, and all calls are treated in confidence.   See the Student Wellbeing page for information about the specialist services available, and discuss with your local SSGT the boundaries between your role and theirs.

You may also contact the Counselling service to explore a general issue that may be affecting one of your students, though you should not discuss individual cases without the student’s explicit permission.  They can also help you to talk through difficult tutorial events and help you look at strategies for possible future situations..

The following advice is based on Counselling Services guidelines for dealing with particularly difficult or disruptive situations:

• If someone is very upset or angry, try to stay calm yourself. Let them finish what they are saying so you can understand what it is they want. Ask them calmly to explain the bits you don’t understand. Keep judgments to yourself.
• Acknowledge their emotion directly e.g. ‘I can see how upset/angry you are and I would like to try and help you’.
• Do not get angry yourself – their anger is not personal to you but will be an accumulation of events and pressures.
• If the student is very upset, offering them a cup of tea or coffee will also give you some extra time to decide the best way forward. Tell them about the services that you feel might help them and offer your telephone for them to make an appointment.
• Ask them to let you know later whether they got the help they needed – show your interest in helping them resolve their difficulties.
• If you don’t have time to deal with the situation then it is better to say so – e.g.
  ‘I understand what you want but I’m due in a meeting shortly and I want to make sure I give you the time you need – what time can you come back this afternoon?’
• Ask the student if there is anything else they want from you.
• If you don’t know how to help, be honest about that e.g. ‘I understand what you want but I’m not sure who can provide that for you. Can you give me some time to make some calls to establish where you can get the help you need? I will  keep your personal details confidential’

Consider how to introduce the suggestion that the student might speak to someone other than yourself. It is important that they don’t feel you are just trying to offload them and their problems, but that you are genuinely concerned to ensure that they get the most appropriate support. Listen carefully before suggesting that a particular issue may be outside your own area of expertise and then do whatever you can to help them to make an appointment with the relevant specialists .

It is usually best not to make this initial contact on the student’s behalf, and certainly not without their permission. Counselling services suggest that in 80% of cases where someone else has made the appointment, the student will fail to attend. However, if you are worried that they may avoid seeking the necessary professional help, and the matter seems urgent, encourage them to make an initial contact during your meeting. If that is not possible then give them the relevant information, in writing, to enable them to do so later.

Do not expect to receive any feedback about the outcome of a referral.  Other professionals are bound by confidentiality rules just as you are.   However, check that the student is aware of this, in case they are anxious about privacy.  Equally, they may prefer you to know what is happening and automatically assume that you will be kept up to date by other people.

This is not the case, so ask the student to let you know how they get on and to come back to you if there are any problems or delays. This will reassure them that you are not trying to ignore their difficulties, but are genuinely concerned to make sure they get the appropriate support from a qualified professional.

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