Recognizing and responding to students in distress

Procedure

When faced with a student in distress, ask yourself: is there an immediate danger of harm to oneself or others? Your answer to this question will determine what steps to follow. If unsure, assume immediate danger.

Immediate danger*

1. Reply briefly and acknowledge the situation.
2. On or off campus: Contact Safety and Security (call 514.744.7575 or visit F-243).

Non-immediate danger*

1. On campus: Stay calm and with their consent, accompany the student to:
   • Student Services during regular operating hours, or
   • Safety and Security during off hours (F-243).
2. Online: Acknowledge and express concern. Then:
   • encourage the student to reach out to a helpline (e.g., Tel-Aide), and 
   • ask permission to forward the message to Student Services (intake@vaniercollege.qc.ca).

*Immediate danger is an urgent situation where safety cannot be maintained without immediate intervention. 

*Non-immediate danger is a situation where a person is experiencing psychological distress/difficulties but there is no current or imminent risk of harm to self or others.

Confidentiality and when to break it

If you believe there is an imminent risk of harm to self or others (e.g., suicidal thoughts/plans or threats of violence), confidentiality can be broken. Otherwise, you can obtain explicit consent from the student. 

When in doubt, lean towards the side of safety—it's better to raise a concern than to stay silent. Follow the procedure above.

Outside of situations of imminent harm, teachers and staff are obliged to keep students' private/sensitive information protected from unauthorized access.