Support for Faculty

a female professor helps a female student during class

(Photo Courtesy of the JMU Creative Media Library/opens new window)

Taking a Leave of Absence: A Guide for Campus Leadership, Faculty, & Staff, 2021 (opens new window)
Provided by the Ruderman Family Foundation in partnership with Active Minds, this guide is designed to assist faculty and staff with creating a culture of caring and support for students who have decided to take a leave of absence. It provides strategies that institutions can use to assist students in their decision to take a leave of absence and makes suggestions on how to help a student return from leave. Additional resources are available through the Active Minds Leave of Absence Policy Campaign (opens new window).

Virginia Suicide Prevention Resource Directory, 2020 (PDF/1.10 Megabytes)
This directory is designed to provide a comprehensive easy to use reference of programs available in Virginia to assist individuals who may need suicide prevention resources. The directory also provides a list of available resources that are needed when people are impacted by suicide. Whenever possible, all known national, state, and local resources are provided.

Faculty Resource: Creating a Culture of Caring, 2020 (PDF/1.43 Megabytes)
From Active Minds and the Association of College and University Educators comes this guide of applied methods that faculty can use to support student mental health and wellbeing.

Students, Parents and Suicide: What's the Role of the University, 2018 (opens new window)
This article looks at the legal and moral obligations that a college or university has regarding students in crisis and when to involve the parents.

A Pilot Test of a Graduate Course in Suicide Theory, Risk Assessment, and Management, 2016 (opens new window)
Available by subscription to or direct purchase from Sage Journals, this article looks at the effectiveness of a graduate level course on a group of five graduate in clinical psychology students. The researchers found that the course was able to improve student awareness on 10 core competencies along with their ability to connect with and assess a suicidal patient.

Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress: A Faculty Handbook, 2012 (Flipbook® 120 Megabytes/opens new window)
Often, there are indicators that a student is experiencing distress long before a situation escalates to a crisis. To assist students in maintaining their mental health and maximizing their intellectual growth, it is important to identify difficulties as early as possible. This handbook will help you to identify students in crisis and provide you with guidance and resources to better help them.