Faculty and Teaching Fellows often are in an excellent position to identify students and colleagues who are struggling, and to refer them to the right person or department for help. And yet, at the same time, many instructors understandably report that they feel uncomfortable and/or unprepared in reaching out to a student or colleague in distress. After all, most of us are trained to be teachers and scholars, not mental health professionals.
Recognizing this challenge, the Bok Center recently collaborated with Sarah Lipson (Assistant Professor, Department of Health Law Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health) to compile some modest but effective measures that faculty and Teaching Fellows might employ to support their students' mental health. Prof. Lipson, a Principal Investigator at The Healthy Minds Network, also spent time earlier in her career as a residential advisor in Harvard College, and is well acquainted with the stresses that students and instructors are facing—stresses that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Read our guidance about how you can orient your teaching towards promoting the mental health of your students and teaching staff, and make an appointment to talk to someone about how to implement these ideas today!