November 29, 2023
Staley to present 'Supporting Students and Ourselves: What Makes This Hard and How Do We Do It?'
Submitted by Ashley A. Schiffer
Ryan Staley, co-associate director and training director at Lafene Counseling and Psychological Services, will present "Supporting Students and Ourselves: What Makes This Hard and How Do We Do It?" from noon to 1 p.m. today, Wednesday, Nov. 29, via Zoom. This Need-To-Know event is part of the Teaching and Learning Center's Professional Development Series.
The demands of work, life and academics can be difficult for both students and faculty to effectively manage. Often, faculty find themselves in the difficult position of having to meet and navigate a myriad of personal and professional activities while also making time to support a student population with ever-increasing mental health needs.
Faculty and staff are often gatekeepers to needed resources and supports for students who are experiencing mental/emotional difficulties. Helping students with personal needs that are impacting their academic performance and success can be a daunting task for a variety of reasons, including time limitations, little or no knowledge and awareness of resources for themselves and students, attending to significant personal and professional demands and responsibilities, feeling ill-equipped or lacking the training and information needed to support students with mental health needs, and more.
This presentation will focus on increasing knowledge about the mental health concerns of students, identifying students in need of additional support for mental health issues and ways faculty can assist students with these issues. We will also discuss the role of faculty in supporting students with mental health needs, ways they can effectively do this, as well as how they can care for themselves as they endeavor to assist the students they serve.