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Strategies to Support Students Who Need Additional Help
Strategies to Support Students Who Need Additional Help
One faculty member can’t address all students' needs (Ragouzeos, 2023). However, you can follow these steps to identify early signs of students who need help.
Step 1: Observe Students
Step 1: Observe Students
Here are some potential signs that a student is struggling and/or experiencing a challenge:
For academic-related performance, you can monitor students' progress through NYU Brightspace or informal comprehension checks. Paying attention to your classroom dynamics and students' behavior could help you identify students who need additional support.
Step 2: Converse with Students
Step 2: Converse with Students
Most faculty are not trained or licensed to address students' mental health struggles. However, you can listen, be empathetic, and connect students to appropriate resources. These actions can help you navigate a conversation with students to further understand their needs:
Ask: Have a direct conversation with your student. Consider asking, “How are you coping?” to see if they’re already working toward a solution, or have reached out to helpful resources.
Observe: Keep an eye out to see if they’re improving.
Connect: If the student hasn’t connected with support or resources, say “I am going to get a counselor to help us with this.” This signals that you are not passing them off to someone else, but will work with them to connect them with the resources they need. Learn more about ways to engage student's mental health here.
Step 3: Refer Students to Additional Resources
Step 3: Refer Students to Additional Resources
SPS Office of Student Affairs (OSA) is primarily responsible for helping students with behavioral and academic concerns. Students might not be aware of the resources available to them so they may reach out to faculty directly. If this situation happens, take the following steps:
Use NYU Connect to notify the student’s Academic Advisor.
Encourage students to fill out the SPS SSC intake form.
Share contact services from SPS OSA.
When things don’t go well:
When things don’t go well:
Trust your intuition. When you feel or think something is off, then something is likely off.
Don’t try to be a therapist. Tell the student that you’re concerned about them and ask how you can help. Let them know that you may not be able to keep their concerns private.
Contact the Office of Student Affairs or the Student Support Center. OSA or SSC are key offices for students. If you’re unsure of what resource would be best, these offices will help connect you and your students with university-wide supports, such as financial aid, mental health services, university advising teams, and more.
When it’s an emergency, call campus safety or 911.
Reference
Reference
Ragouzeos, Z. NYU Support for Teaching and Learning. (2023). Engaging Students’ Mental Health in the Classroom: Understanding Your Role. Retrieved from https://teachingsupport.hosting.nyu.edu/engaging-students-mental-health/
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