Personal Growth and Counseling Center

Resources for Faculty & Staff

Consultation with PGCC staff is available to any CSUMB faculty or staff member by phone or in person. If you are concerned about a student and are uncertain about what to do, please call us (831-582-3969), identify yourself as a faculty or staff member, and say you are concerned about a student or situation and would like to consult with a counselor. Usually this service is available immediately. 

Recommended resources to support student health and wellness:

Supporting Emotionally Distressed Students

As a member of the California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) campus community, you are constantly interacting with students. At times, you will have contact with students whose problems or behaviors may lead to concern, create discomfort, or affect the education of other students. The difficulty is that most often, these situations do not often resolve without support or intervention.

As a faculty or staff member, interacting daily with students, you are in an excellent position to recognize behavior changes that may indicate emotional distress within a student. A student's behavior, especially if it is inconsistent with your previous observations, could well constitute an inarticulate "cry for help." Although you are not likely a trained counselor, you can serve as a first responder helping students in crisis connect to professional help. 

This document was created to help you when these difficult occasions occur. It offers straightforward advice, techniques and suggestions on how to cope with, intervene, and assist troubled students in or out of the classroom.

Red Folder

"The Red Folder urges CSU employees to intervene if they see a student in distress. The resource contains information on common signs of mental illness, how to respond in incidents where a student might be a threat to themselves or others, and who to contact on campus in case of an emergency. It also outlines which situations require police intervention or a referral to campus psychological services."

- California State University Public Affairs

Suggested Syllabus Statement 

Holistic Wellness, Learning, and Engagement

CSUMB believes in a holistic wellness, learning and engagement paradigm. Many departments support students with their physical, mental, financial, intellectual, emotional and spiritual wellness. As a college student you may need assistance with anything, including tutoring, testing accommodations, emergency funds or mental health support. While at CSUMB, we hope you enhance and maintain your wellness. We also hope you learn to respond to challenges by seeking available guidance. View the list of CSUMB student resources below and learn about their services at www.csumb.edu/help/campus-resources.

First Year Seminar Discussion Guide

FYS professors are encouraged to use our discussion guide to explore various mental health topics with your students. Our guide provides discussion questions and resources for the following topics:

  • Loneliness and Homesickness
  • Relationships
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Substance Abuse

These discussions can stand alone or can be facilitated prior to a PGCC presentation. If you'd like to schedule a classroom presentation please use our Presentation Request Formor call 831-582-3969.

Learn More About Services

Colleges and departments may use the Presentation Request Form to request HWS representatives to present on PGCC services and be available for Q&A.