Supporting Students Within Your Role
Faculty and staff play an important role in noticing and supporting students, but it is equally important to recognize the limits of your role. Understanding professional boundaries protects both you and the student, reduces the risk of burnout, and helps ensure students are connected with the appropriate campus resources (Riba, 2025). This section provides guidance on maintaining supportive relationships with students while staying within the scope of your professional role.
Key Points:
- Your role is typically that of an instructor, advisor, or supervisor, not a mental health professional.
- It is not your responsibility to solve students’ personal or mental health concerns. Trying to do so can delay them from seeking proper help and can increase your own stress.
- Avoid over-involvement, including giving prescriptive advice or making decisions for the student. Your guidance should help students explore their options, not dictate a path.
- Avoid becoming the student’s primary source of emotional support.
Try This:
- Express care and concern by noticing changes in student behavior or engagement.
- Ask open-ended questions to help students reflect and identify their own next steps.
- Collaborate with the student to identify campus resources they feel comfortable accessing.
Why It Helps:
Maintaining role clarity allows you to support students meaningfully while keeping
both parties safe and connected to the right resources.
Key Points:
- Students may share personal information with you; it’s important to respect privacy.
- Only share information on a need-to-know basis, such as with campus professionals or mandated reporting requirements.
- Avoid attempting to provide ongoing counseling or therapeutic advice.
- Be transparent that some situations (such as safety concerns or Title IX disclosures) may require you to share information with appropriate campus offices.
Try This:
- Clarify at the start of sensitive conversations what you can and cannot keep confidential.
- Encourage students to reach out to trained staff for support when appropriate.
Why It Helps:
Respecting confidentiality builds trust while ensuring students are connected to qualified
support safely and ethically.
Key Points:
- Resist the urge to investigate or solve the student’s problem for them.
- Over-involvement can blur boundaries and create dependency or misunderstanding.
Try This:
- Focus on listening, noticing, and referring, rather than “fixing” the issue.
- Use OARS conversational skills (Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries- See Responding in the Moment section) to guide students’ exploration without directing their decisions.
Why It Helps:
This approach empowers students to make decisions while protecting your own capacity
and professional boundaries.
Key Points:
- Faculty and staff often worry about making a mistake in these conversations.
- You don’t need to have all the answers, expressing care and connecting the student to resources is usually enough.
Try This:
- Say something simple like: “I’ve noticed [behavior/concern]. I care about your well-being and want to make sure you know what support is available.”
- Showing genuine concern is often more important than finding the “perfect” words.
Why It Helps:
Acknowledging your role and limits reduces stress, supports students safely, and ensures
they access qualified help.
Key Points:
- Your position carries authority, which can influence how students interpret your guidance.
- Even well-intentioned advice can feel directive to students; focus on supporting exploration and self-efficacy.
- Always be mindful of time, emotional energy, and professional distance in interactions.
Try This:
- Keep conversations structured and goal-oriented.
- Refer students to campus resources whenever possible (e.g., Center for Student Mental Health and Well-Being, Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success, The Dean of Students Office and Campus Learning Centers).
- Document concerns when appropriate, especially if you notice patterns or escalating issues.
Why It Helps:
Professional boundaries protect both you and the student, promote trust, and ensure
students receive appropriate support.
Scenario: Student Shares Personal Crisis During Office Hours
Situation:
During your office hours for your class, a student sits down and begins telling you
that they are struggling with anxiety and feeling hopeless because of family issues
at home. They ask, “What should I do? I just don’t know how to handle this.”
Try This:
- Listen attentively and acknowledge what they’re saying: “I hear that you’re going through a really difficult time right now.”
- Set a professional boundary: “I’m here to support you as your instructor, but I’m not trained to provide counseling. It might help to connect with The Center for Student Mental Health and Well-Being they can provide support for your situation”
- Offer concrete next steps: help them locate the center, provide contact info, suggest scheduling an appointment, walk with them to the counseling center during their open hours of operation or encourage the student to explore TELUS outside of standard business hours.
- If you remain concerned about the student’s well-being after the conversation, consider
submitting a Report a Concern through the Dean of Students website.
Why It Helps:
You validate the student’s experience and show care while keeping your role clear.
Referring them ensures they get appropriate professional support without overstepping
your boundaries.
Scenario: Student Requests Personal Advice via Email
Situation:
A student emails you late at night asking for advice about managing their romantic
relationship and family obligations, stating that they “don’t know who else to ask”
and hinting at feeling overwhelmed.
Try This:
- Respond kindly but professionally: “I appreciate you reaching out and sharing what’s going on. I want to support you in your success in this course, but I’m not able to give personal counseling advice.”
- Redirect to appropriate support: “You might find it helpful to talk with The Center for Student Mental Health and Well-Being, where trained staff can guide you. If you’d like, I can provide their contact information.”
- Set boundaries for communication: respond during normal business hours and clarify that you want to support the student in the best way possible which might include referring them to other offices or professionals.
- If you remain concerned about the student’s well-being after the conversation, consider
submitting a Report a Concern through the Dean of Students website.
Why It Helps:
You maintain clear professional boundaries, protect your own time and emotional energy,
and connect the student with staff trained to address personal issues safely.
Supporting students is rewarding but can also be emotionally demanding. By understanding and maintaining professional boundaries, clarifying your role, respecting confidentiality, avoiding over-involvement, and referring to trained resources, you protect your well-being while still having a meaningful impact on student success. Remember, noticing and expressing care for a student is already incredibly valuable, and connecting them to appropriate support ensures they get the help they need in a safe and effective way.
Quick Boundary Check- before continuing a conversation, ask yourself:
- Am I listening and supporting, rather than solving the problem?
- Am I staying within my role as an instructor, advisor, or staff member?
- Have I considered whether a referral to campus resources would help?
- Am I maintaining appropriate professional distance and time boundaries?