Your syllabus can send a positive signal of your support for students' learning and well-being by including a section with recommendations and encouragement for students to take care of themselves and seek help when they need it. This section can also provide students with important information for getting help, including direct links and contact information for support services. And, if you feel so inclined, this section is also a place to directly invite students to reach out to you when they have questions or need help.
CONTACT US to discuss syllabi or related issues with an Eberly colleague in person!
The excerpts below provide some sample language for you to draw on as you consider including this section in your syllabus.
Take care of yourself
All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. You are not alone. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for support sooner rather than later is often helpful.
If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit their website at http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/
OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE:
If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in danger of self-harm, call someone immediately, day or night:
CaPS: 412-268-2922
Re:solve Crisis Network: 888-796-8226
If the situation is life threatening, call the Police:
On campus: CMU Police: 412-268-2323
Off campus: 911
If you have questions about this or your coursework, please let me know.
Take care of yourself option 2
Take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep, and taking time to relax. Despite what you might hear, using your time to take care of yourself will actually help you achieve your academic goals more than spending too much time studying.
All of us benefit from support and guidance during times of struggle. There are many helpful resources available on campus. An important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Take the time to learn about all that’s available and take advantage of it. Ask for support sooner rather than later – this always helps.
If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or difficult feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for assistance connecting to the support that can help. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here for you: call 412-268-2922 and visit their website at http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/. Over 25% of students reach out to CaPS some time during their time at CMU.
If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, call someone immediately, day or night:
CaPS: 412-268-2922
Re:solve Crisis Network: 888-796-8226
If the situation is life threatening, call the Police:
On campus: CMU Police: 412-268-2323
Off campus: 911
Contributed by Kasey Creswell and adapted by Kurt Kumler and others on the Task Force
on the CMU Experience.
Healthy Balance
Healthy Balance
Universities are in general vibrant communities, places of tremendous vitality and richness that offer abundant opportunities for meaningful work and play. This abundance brings with it the challenge of maintaining a healthy, balanced life – a life characterized by productive tension among such competing needs as work and play, sleep and wakefulness, solitude and sociability. All members of university communities – students, staff, and faculty – have the responsibility to promote balance in their lives by making thoughtful choices.
Balanced choices flow from an understanding that human flourishing requires the fulfillment of very real physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs.
Balanced choices flow from an understanding that failure is part of the road to success in all endeavors, whether academic, extracurricular, or social. The diligent pursuit of success in the long term will not preclude failures in the short term. Conversely, unrealistic expectations of success in the short term can compromise both health and long-term success if basic human needs are neglected.
Balanced decision-making flows from an understanding that short-term imbalances are inevitable. Short-term decisions must respond to immediate context, but those decisions are forming longer-term patterns of healthfulness. Balance requires an ability to discern how long an imbalance may safely persist.
Balance results from two skills: avoiding imbalance through careful planning, and managing and containing imbalance when it occurs.
From John Paul Ito's website: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/johnito/music_theory/
wellness/
Basic Mental Health
As a student, you may experience a range of challenges that can interfere with learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, substance use, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may diminish your academic performance and/or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. CMU services are available, and treatment does work. You can learn more about confidential mental health services available on campus at: http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/. Support is always available (24/7) from Counseling and Psychological Services: 412-268-2922.
Adapted from University of Alaska Anchorage, https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/students
/student-health-counseling-center/integrated-suicide-prevention-initiative/_documents/
suicide-prevention-syllabus-statements_2014.pdf
Signs and Resources
The CMU community is committed to and cares about all students. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental health problems can help you or others to consider seeking care that can help. These are some signs that may be reason for concern:
- Feeling hopelessness, worthlessness, depressed, angry or guilty
- Withdrawal from friends, family and activities that used to be fun
- Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- Feeling tired or exhausted all of the time
- Trouble concentrating, thinking, remembering or making decisions
- Restlessness, irritability, agitation or anxious movements or behaviors
- Neglect of personal care
- Reckless or impulsive behaviors (e.g., drinking or using drugs excessively or being unsafe in other ways)
- Persistent physical symptoms (e.g., headaches, digestive problems or chronic pain) that do not respond to routine treatment
- Thoughts about death or suicide*
Treatment for mental health problems is effective. More information and resources are located at http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/. Immediate support is always available (24/7): 412-268-2922.
* CaPS: 412-268-2922
Re:solve Crisis Network: 888-796-8226
If the situation is life threatening, call the Police:
On campus: CMU Police: 412-268-2323
Off campus: 911
Adapted from University of Alaska Anchorage, https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/students/
student-health-counseling-center/integrated-suicide-prevention-initiative/_documents/
suicide-prevention-syllabus-statements_2014.pdf
Personal Investment
Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry, or problems with eating and/or sleeping can interfere with optimal academic performance. The source of symptoms might be strictly related to your course work; if so, please speak with me. However, problems with relationships, family worries, loss, or a personal struggle or crisis can also contribute to decreased academic performance. CMU provides mental health services to support the academic success of students. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) offers free, confidential services to help you manage personal challenges. In the event I suspect you need additional support, I will express my concerns and the reasons for them, and remind you of campus resources (e.g., CaPS, Dean of Students, etc.) that might be helpful to you. It is not my intention to know the details of what might be bothering you, but simply to let you know I am concerned and that help, if needed, is available. Getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do --for yourself and for those who care about you.
Adapted from University of Alaska Anchorage, https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/students/
student-health-counseling-center/integrated-suicide-prevention-initiative/_documents/
suicide-prevention-syllabus-statements_2014.pdf
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