Helping Distressed Students
Information for Personal Tutors on how to help distressed students.
As a Personal Tutor or PG Supervisor, you may find that there are occasions when you may be concerned about the health or mental well-being of a student. If you feel you need to or are requested to give a student extra assistance, it is important to help within the boundaries of what you feel competent to do.
The Student Disability Service has produced a staff guide to helping distressed students. This guide has been produced to:
- Help you to recognise when a student may be in difficulty
- Provide advice to help you respond/refer appropriately and effectively
- Remind you of the sources of support within the University
- Raise awareness of issues relating to student mental health
This guide gives you advice on dealing with both crises and more everyday situations. It is important to be prepared for emergencies, but you should be aware they occur very rarely and that expert help is available.
Helping Distressed Students Guide
You may also wish to contact the Student Counselling Service or advice on matters of student mental health and wellbeing. Student Counsellors work closely with other members of the University staff and are available for consultation if you are concerned about a student in difficulty or distress, though they cannot discuss a specific student with you without the student’s explicit permission
While university life is full of exciting opportunities for students, it can also be an overwhelming time. Here you can find information on a range of support services provided by the University and throughout Edinburgh to support student's physical and mental wellbeing. For queries, contact the team at Student.Wellbeing@ed.ac.uk