GCU’s Priority Response Team (PRT) offers support and guidance to staff members at the Glasgow Campus who are dealing with distressed students or students in crisis.
It's staffed by GCU counsellors, mental health advisers and student wellbeing advisers.
You can contact the PRT if a student is highly distressed and you believe they would benefit from getting emotional, mental health and/or wellbeing help that day.
You can also contact the service for guidance and advice when dealing with any of the following circumstances:
- A student talks of feeling suicidal/self-harm/harming others
- A student is finding it difficult to function
- A student appears to be mentally confused, perhaps delusional or unable to follow a normal conversation
- A student is at risk of homelessness or in a financial crisis
- If you are worried about the student’s mental health and wellbeing due to a critical incident
- You need advice about how best to support a student/students you are concerned about.
The service is available from 1pm to 3pm Monday to Fridays.
When would you not use it?
The PRT team is unable to advise distressed students about academic results, progress options or academic board decisions. Please make it clear to students that engaging with the Student Wellbeing service will not influence decisions about academic progression, results or VISA status.
For some students, their worry and distress arises from these situations. They may feel highly anxious and concerned regarding their studies and what this means for them.
These students may benefit from talking through their situation with academic staff, perhaps after their initial shock and distress has reduced. In some cases, listening without judgment and giving information may be all that is needed – or reassurance if a student is distressed and/or tearful. If you’re in any doubt as to whether or not a student meets the criteria for a PRT appointment, please feel free to phone us.
In less urgent cases the student can be encouraged to contact their GP or Student Advice Centre or Student wellbeing.
Students can self-refer to the counselling service on our website.
Next steps – Making a referral
- Does the student agree that they need help?
- Are they willing to accept help?
It’s important to obtain consent where possible from the student, prior to contacting the PRT team. It's very difficult to help someone who does not think they need help or is unwilling to use any help suggested.
When discussing a referral with a student we advise you to describe it by saying something like “making a referral to the Student Wellbeing Service so they can discuss with you what support is available” rather than mentioning “Priority Response Team” as this can sound alarming to students.
If the person is disruptive, or acting in a way that is endangering themselves or others, please phone campus security on x3787
How to access the PRT?
Once you have the student’s consent (where possible) call 0141 273 1393 or internally on x1393
The service is accessed by calling the main student wellbeing number, you will then be transferred to the member of staff on duty or a call back will be arranged.
Outwith PRT hours
In less urgent cases you can email student wellbeing at studentwellbeing@gcu.ac.uk marking the email “for the attention of the PRT Team” and this will be picked up when the service is next open and someone will get back to you. You can also encourage the student to contact student wellbeing themselves.
If you are on campus with the student and you feel the student is at immediate risk of harm then contact campus security on x3787.
If the student is not on campus and you feel they are at immediate risk of harm then contact the emergency services on 999.
The Wellbeing Service have collaborated with university colleagues to produce a guide to help you to Identify and Support Students in Distress.
We value feedback and would be happy to meet for informal discussions or to present at group/departmental meetings. Requests for paper copies of the guide should be emailed to the Student Wellbeing Service, along with any other comments or suggestions
The Wellbeing Service have also produced a recorded webinar for staff which explores this guidance and how to identify and support students in distress. The webinar is available at the Staff and Mental Health Wellbeing Hub under Supporting Students and Colleagues.
Report and Support is an online reporting tool for our students to submit a report about misconduct they experience on campus. GCU is dedicated to identifying and tackling inappropriate behaviour, whenever it arises. No one in our community should ever be the focus of gender based violence, sexism, racism, discrimination, assault, bullying, harassment or any other offensive conduct.
By reporting an incident you experience or witness, you could help prevent something similar from happening to someone else.
Help make GCU a better place. Tell us about your experience.
