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Assisting Students in Distress

College years can be stressful for many students. As a fellow student, faculty, or staff member, you may be the first to recognize when someone needs help. In this role, you are often the one who can guide that student to professional resources.

For life threatening emergencies, call for immediate help or go to nearest hospital emergency room. Call 911 (or 9-911 from an on-campus phone).

For urgent situations, contact the CAPS on-call clinician.

Resources

  • For undergraduates, the residence deans (RDs) are professional staff who can advise students and assist with personal emergencies.
  • The Graduate Life Office (GLO) serves the needs of graduate students and student families who live on and off campus. Graduate deans provide information, advice, assistance, and referrals for academic and personal issues.
  • The Confidential Support Team (CST) offers confidential support to Stanford students impacted by sexual assault and relationship violence, including domestic abuse, intimate partner abuse, stalking, and sexual or gender-based harassment.  CST services include information about rights and reporting options, brief emotional support, and ongoing individual counseling.  You can reach the CST office for non-urgent concerns between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at 650-736-6933. For urgent matters, CST has a 24 hour hotline:  650-725-9955.
  • Other resources for sexual assault and relationship violence include the Office of Sexual Assault and Relationship Abuse Office Education and Response (SARA) and  the YWCA Rape Crisis Hotline, available 24 hours a day at 800-572-2782.
  • At the Bridge Peer Counseling Center, trained peer counselors provide free, anonymous, and confidential counseling to the Stanford community.
  • The Office of Religious Life promotes dialogue, ritual, and friendship among people of all religious backgrounds.
  • The American Psychiatric Foundation in collaboration with the JED Foundation has developed a program to help with the transition from high school to college. The site provides resources  to help parents and students focus on emotional health before, during and after the college transition.

For Students 

  • Helping a Friend provides Information on depression, suicide, eating disorders, and other issues and your friends may turn to you for help.
  • The Jed Foundation's mission is to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college and university students. 

For Faculty and Staff