Health and Wellbeing
How to Have Constructive Conversations with Distressed Students in Further Education Settings
What to say, and what to leave unsaid, when a student at your college is clearly struggling.
- 34 minutes
- 1 module
- 0.5 CPD hours
- Certificate
Members
14 days free, then £70 a year or £7 a month.
Have a join code from your school?
Already have an account? Sign in
What you'll learn
- Spot changes in mood, sociability or attitude to work that suggest distress
- Open a conversation with what you've observed, not what you think is wrong
- Use reflective listening and empathy rather than rushing to fix things
- Offer other ways to talk, such as walking side by side or writing it down
- Refer a student on, and point them to services such as Shout or Childline
About this course
A student who's usually chatty goes quiet. Another stops handing work in, or keeps asking whether it's good enough. You've noticed, and you want to say something, but you're worried about making it worse or getting out of your depth.
You'll learn to start that conversation early and keep it going. Open with what you've seen rather than your guess at the problem ("I've noticed you've not seemed yourself, and I wondered..."). Reflect back what you hear. Offer a walk instead of a face-to-face chat, or a pen and paper for a student who can't find the words. A little about the teenage brain explains why a four-week relationship ending can feel enormous at 17.
You'll also be clear about where your role stops, and how to refer a student on so they see asking for help as a sign of strength.
- For senior leaders. Post-16. England only.
1 module
- 34 min
The course