Is professional help required?
The following checklist has been designed to help you think through whether or not the person you are concerned about requires professional help.
- Explore the person's current readiness to accept help.
- Be direct and honest regarding the concerns that led you to suggest they may require further help.
- Be honest about your own limitations.
- Bearing in mind the constraints of confidentiality, find out who else, or what other services (e.g. their GP, the University Counselling Service, Student Support and Guidance, etc) may currently, or previously, have had contact with this individual.
- Contact this person or service as soon as possible. It is usually better to do this with the person's permission.
If there is real and immediate risk that the person you are concerned about may harm themselves, or someone else, contact the appropriate emergency service.
If you are not sure how best to help the individual you are concerned about, please contact the Counselling Service for advice.