Supporting a distressed student
Source: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/health-and-wellbeing/health-and-wellbeing-overview/self-help-resources/supporting-distressed-student Parent: https://life.uq.edu.au/article/2025/02/counselling-services-whats-available-gatton-campus-2026
A person in distress will often approach someone they know first for help. Even if you're not a counsellor, there are still ways you can help.
You may not realise it, but you have a range of useful supportive skills from your own relationships with family and friends. These skills, along with good communication and knowledge of available support services, can be helpful in dealing with many problems.
If you're worried someone might harm themselves or someone else, seek help immediately. Don’t try to manage on your own. It’s important to find support as soon as possible. You can call:
- Triple Zero (000) off campus
- Campus Security (3365 3333) on campus
- UQ Counselling and Crisis Line (1300 851 998).
When you speak to someone, tell them if the person is feeling suicidal or like they might hurt someone else.
Recognising signs of distress
A person in distress may not ask for help, so it's useful to recognise the common signs of someone experiencing more stress than they can handle.
Signs to look out for include:
- a decline in the quality of their work or class participation
- frequent extension requests (with limited details) or unexplained absences from class
- over-reliance on academic or administrative staff
- excessive procrastination
- signs of anxiety or agitation
- changes in personal hygiene, appearance or behaviour
- prolonged depression
- statements indicating a sense of worthlessness or helplessness
- impaired speech, disjointed thoughts or evidence they're losing touch with reality
- direct or indirect talk of suicide
How to help
Find a private place to talk: Choose a comfortable place where you can talk without being interrupted.
Be specific about your concerns: If you start the conversation, say what you've observed and why you're concerned. For example: "You seem unhappy and you haven't been handing in your assignments. Have there been some problems?"
Active listening: Make sure to listen to their concerns without judgement or criticism. Also:
- show interest in what they are saying
- allow them to express themselves
- state your concern for them and the difficulties they're experiencing
Remain calm: Someone who's upset will respond better if you seem relaxed and calm.
Check you understand: When they've finished speaking, re-state the main issues they've talked about so you can check you fully understand the problem.
Help find solutions: Stress can make it difficult to think clearly, so help them to brainstorm some possible solutions to their problem.
Recommending professional help
Recommend that the student seek professional help if:
- you're worried about your own or the student's safety
- you feel uncomfortable discussing any issues
- their problems go beyond your own experience or expertise or you feel out of your depth
- you start to feel distressed, frustrated or angry as a result of listening
Suggest that they contact:
- UQ counselling services
- UQ Health Care, if a medical condition is involved.
If necessary, you can contact these services yourself while the other person is present. You can follow up to make sure they attended their appointment.
If they don't want to seek professional help
I can help to:
- frame it in a positive way – remind them that by getting help they will begin to feel better
- remind them that you don't have to be at crisis point to make an appointment – addressing problems early often leads to better outcomes.
If they're still hesitant and you're concerned about their safety or wellbeing, you can request a welfare check through Student Support and Wellbeing Services.
UQ staff can also contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services or UQ Health Care to discuss concerns.
Training and skills development
You can access training to help you develop skills and confidence to support students via Workday:
- Supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing is a self-directed e-learning module designed to build awareness of mental health, early signs that students may need support, and how you can respond to a student in crisis and assist them to access the appropriate supports.
-
Supporting students with mental health conditions is a hybrid module designed to enable you to identify and support students with early signs of mental health concerns. You will learn about the specific support services available to students and pathways for referral.
- Bullying
- Deliberate self-harm
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Exam anxiety
- Grief and loss
- Loneliness
- Managing anger
- Managing sleeplessness
- Relationship issues
- Relaxation
- Self-esteem and self-confidence
- Stress
- Substance abuse
- Suicidal thoughts
- Supporting a distressed student
Student counselling services
If you are having a personal crisis and need to speak to someone urgently, contact the UQ Counselling and Crisis line:
If you call 1300 851 998 between 8am and 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, our trained staff will connect you to the right support. Outside of these hours, a trained crisis counsellor will answer for immediate assistance.
You can also text 0488 884 115 between 4:30pm and 8am to chat with a crisis counsellor.
Book a confidential appointment with our counsellors for personal support:
Step one:
Complete the counselling intake form. This form must be completed prior to your first appointment.
Step two:
Book a counselling appointment
Note: For students at Gatton and Herston campuses, please ensure any face to face appointment is at your preferred location.
If you're having trouble booking online, contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.
Phone Student Support and Wellbeing Services on 1300 275 870
Visit Student Central at Building 42 at St Lucia, or at Gatton at Level 1, N.W. Briton Administration Centre Annexe, Building 8101A
Live chat with us (8:30am—4:30pm)\
Further support
You can speak to your GP, a psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor outside of UQ.
You can also visit: