Faculty, staff, peers, parents, care-givers, family members, and other community members are often among the first to become concerned about the well-being of a student. There are a number of options to consider when deciding how to get the student the assistance the student needs.
If you have urgent concerns about the safety of a student or the community, call 911 or UNC Charlotte Police and Public Safety at 704‑687‑2200. Police personnel can help arrange immediate assistance.
Students whose behavior is causing disruption or concern can be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students (704‑687‑0345). The Office of the Dean of Students manages the NinerCare Network. Information about the NinerCare network and how to report an incident can be found on the NinerCare website.
If a student is exhibiting psychological problems, CAPS staff are available to consult with you about how best to approach this student and encourage him or her to seek help. Staff are on-call each business day to consult either by phone or in person. Call CAPS at 704‑687‑0311 to make arrangements to speak to the counselor on-call.
Below are some guidelines to follow if you are concerned about the well-being of a student.
Counseling Services - Students are encouraged to consult with a counselor when they are worried about depression, anxiety, relationship issues, or other concerns that may impact their safety, well-being, and optimal academic and interpersonal functioning. Students can explore on this website the individual and group counseling services available and discuss their concerns with a counselor.
Consultation Services - Students are invited to consult with Counseling & Psychological Services staff, either in person or by phone, if they notice behaviors in other students that may be of concern to them
Consultation Services - Faculty and staff are invited to consult with Counseling & Psychological Services staff, either in person or by phone, if they notice student behavior that may be of concern to them.
Additional information and resources for faculty around supporting student mental health and wellbeing can be found on the Faculty Resources Page.
Consultation Services - Family members who notice student behaviors that concern them are encouraged to contact Counseling & Psychological Services in order to discuss their concerns and develop strategies for how to approach and address their observations. CAPS staff are available each day by phone.
- Erratic behavior, including infrequent class attendance or failure to follow through with responsibilities
- Excessive procrastination
- Increasing dependence on a faculty or staff member, parent, or other person (by demanding excessive amounts of time and attention)
- Social isolation, withdrawal, lethargy
- Inability to focus on a specific topic in a conversation or activity
- Disorganized thinking and speech, feelings that are inappropriate to the situation or other evidence that a student is out of touch with reality.
- Expression of feelings of persecution, strong mistrust of others
- Disruptive, explosive, or disrespectful behavior
- Signs of excessive substance use
- Gain or loss of significant amounts of weight
- Abrupt change in personal hygiene
- Share your interest and concerns openly and directly
- Set clear limits about your role with the student
- Maintain the student’s privacy
- Do not promise confidentiality. Rather inform a student that you will use discretion if seeking outside assistance
- Help the student tell their story. Offer the opportunity to listen to whatever is on the student’s mind
- Demonstrate an understanding of what the student discloses
- Inquire how the student is attempting to respond to the problem. Develop response options together
- Consider with the student the consequences of not seeking help
- Consult with colleagues, supervisors, deans, CAPS staff, or others if you feel you need additional perspectives, before or after approaching the student
- Suggest a referral to CAPS, the Student Health Center, the Office of the Dean of Students, or other community resource
- Follow-up and offer further support
- The problems or requests made are beyond your level of comfort
- The boundaries of your role make it unwise to work with this student on the issues
- A student expresses a preference (directly or indirectly) to speak with someone else about their concerns
- After some time and effort, you feel like you are not making progress in helping this student
- It is generally more helpful to refer to a particular office or agency than to a specific person as that person may not be available at that time
- Consider helping the student make an appointment, perhaps by letting the student call from your office or walking with the student to the office where the referral is being made
- After a referral, let the student volunteer information they want to share. Communication between the student and the referral agency is often confidential. It may not be necessary for you to have details of a student’s interaction with another agency. Communicate continued concern and openness to help
- There are few "quick fixes." Behaviors, attitudes, and feelings take time to change, and a student may show slow progress or, for a while, none at all. Trust the process and communicate if you have continued concerns
We are committed to providing mental health and suicide prevention initiatives at UNC Charlotte that strive to enrich the community of care that is an intrinsic piece of the institutional identity. Click here to learn more about the different training opportunities CAP’s offers and how to cultivate a community of care.