Dear Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Student Instructors,
We hope the end of your fall semester is going well. As you know, this time of the semester can bring increased stress to students. With final deadlines for papers approaching and final exams about to begin, students may be displaying signs of distress. We wanted to remind you of resources available to help you if you encounter a student who is struggling emotionally.
The University of California has a full-text handbook for faculty and staff entitled Promoting Student Mental Health: A Guide for UC Faculty and Staff. This handbook provides in-depth information about mental health and examines the role that faculty and staff members can play in providing a supportive academic environment and assisting students who may be in distress.
We encourage each of you to download the full-text guide, as well as the separate UC Berkeley-specific resource insert. In addition, the Center for Support and Intervention (CSI) and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) have updated the Gold Folder, a safety protocol you’ve likely become acquainted with.
If you have a student who you are concerned about and need assistance in guiding the student to the appropriate resources, please submit a care report: https://berkeley-advocate.symplicity.com/care_report/
Additional information about depression from the Look for the Signs Campaign:
http://uhs.berkeley.edu/lookforthesigns
Lastly, we offer a special message of support for GSIs who, in addition to instructing undergraduate students, are students themselves. Please make sure you are taking care of yourselves at this time in the semester. Visit recalibrate for wellness information and resources targeted at the entire campus community. Also see the CAPS graduate student resource guide (PDF): https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/cps_gradstudents.pdf
Sincerely,
Anna Harte, MD, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Health Services
Stephen C. Sutton, Ed.D., Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs
Fiona M. Doyle, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division
If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.
