Thread by @hralperta

The first time I had a student in crisis, I called a friend who was a psychiatrist at the VA and asked for help.

She told me a few things. First, that I needed to know my boundaries and limits. It wasn't appropriate for me to take responsibility for my students' mental health.

Second, that as a trusted employee who worked closely with students, it was my responsibility to be informed about resources for students.

I needed to know what was available, what it cost, and how to access it. I also needed to know which choices were dangerous. For example:

At my university, calling the emergency health line could send police to a students' home. That was not a safe resource for my students. It was my responsibility to know that, and to know the alternative routes to support.

Third, she told me I needed to know how & when to intervene. She talked me through what it would look like to leave the classroom with a student in distress and walk with them to the health center. The next day, I made that walk myself, and talked to staff there.

Why am I bringing this up today?

Because right now, many students are in crisis.

It can feel overwhelming as an instructor to feel responsible for their care, without having resources to do so. Especially when many of us non-students are in crisis, too.

The conversation that I had with my friend helped me feel empowered and also take better care of myself. I hope it can help you too.

(And so much gratitude to Sarah, who is an amazing person on so many fronts, and who helped me when I needed it while she was a grad student herself)

Oh, and one more thing: This is a perfect example of how small-scale collective action can have a large impact.

If I were in a department right now, I might think about how I could gather this information and share it with my colleagues. Especially grad student instructors.