5 Know your role

You aren’t their therapist or doctor. You’re there to listen. Setting clear boundaries will help maintain a healthy relationship while still being supportive. Don’t judge, preach, or downplay. Just listen and help them get the help they need.

One way to support a student is to normalize and encourage help-seeking. You can praise them for reaching out for help.

Ways to set boundaries:

“Thank you for being so open with me. I want to continue this conversation, and I also want to make sure that you’re getting the help you need. I really think you may find (name resource) to be a very helpful and comforting resource.”

“Reaching out to (name resource) for the first time can be a little confusing. Would you like help connecting to (name resource)?”

“I really think (name resource) can address some of your needs, but sometimes it takes several tries to find the best fit. For any reason if it doesn’t feel like a match, then ask what other resources may be a better fit for your needs.”