The University of Louisville maintains a guide for Difficult Student Situations found at the Dean of Students webpage.
The Student Care Team developed this guide to inform response to difficult situations that may occur in and outside of the classroom. Keep in mind that there will be variables which direct faculty and staff to an appropriate response. This is not an all-encompassing list, nor are you expected to deal with these situations alone. Utilize the campus resources recommended throughout the document.
Response Guide for Difficult Student Situations
Faculty and staff are often the first point of contact for many student issues. Departments are encouraged to develop standards on ways to handle these situations. Use this guide as a springboard to begin communication about difficult student situations.
The Student Care Team recommends that faculty review the issues in this document and include a statement about appropriate classroom behavior in your syllabus in order to proactively address these situations. If there is no threat, often the best approach is to deal with these instances in a supportive and structured manner.
Be Prepared
The Cards SPEAK program offers mental health wellbeing and suicide prevention training to help individuals and groups in the UofL community develop the needed skills to be advocates of health and safety. To learn more about available trainings, visit the Dean of Students page.
QPR: QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer -- 3 simple steps that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying "Yes" to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor. QPR can be learned in as little as one hour.
It’s Real: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)-produced film It’s Real: College Students and Mental Health is designed to raise awareness about mental health issues commonly experienced by students.
By featuring real stories and experiences, It’s Real conveys that depression and other mental health conditions are real illnesses that can be managed through specific treatments and interventions. It encourages students to be mindful of the state of their mental health, to acknowledge and recognize when they are struggling, and to take steps to seek help.
Mental Health First Aid trainings are available in Louisville through various providers.