Students in Distress

Dear UNH Faculty and Staff,
 
This fall we will continue to actively promote the How Are You – Really Campaign that Psychological and Counseling Services (PACS) created in partnership with Health & Wellness. This joint effort is intended to foster support in our community and to provide validation for the idea that it is okay to not be okay. This educational effort incorporates resources to help you and our students assess their mental health, learn personal strategies to promote mental health, and identify relevant supportive resources on campus.

To further support the work that you do, please visit our website to see the latest version of the Guide to Students in Distress (click “Guide” in the “Where do I start?” section). This guide helps you support students’ mental health and emotional well-being in the classroom and beyond. You can also find more information about helping students in our faculty toolkit. This year, we’ve added more information regarding resources and required reporting related to hazing as part of our ongoing commitment to prevent hazing and the updates we’ve made to our policies in response to the Stop Campus Hazing Act.

You are not alone in helping our students. Faculty and staff are welcome to call PACS (603.862.2090) to consult about a student mental health issue. In addition, the Dean of Students remains available for more complicated matters that go beyond mental health. The Dean of Students chairs the Behavioral Intervention Team, which works with students managing highly complicated mental health matters. The Dean also chairs the Acute Incident Response Team, which responds in the event of a major campus event, including the unfortunate event of a student death. Please contact the Dean directly if you become aware of a situation that you believe should be reviewed by those teams.

Together, we play a vital role in fostering a culture of care at UNH. Thank you for the compassion, attentiveness, and commitment you bring to supporting our students each day. With appreciation for your collaboration,
 
Elisa Bolton, Ph.D.
Director of Psychological and Counseling Services (PACS)

Michael Blackman, Ed.D.
Dean of Students