Guiding Faculty to Recognize, Respond and Support Students in Distress: Faculty Training Program at Bahria University

Abstract

The mental health issue among students in Pakistan's universities is a rising concern, as about 51% of the university students are experiencing depressive symptoms. While faculty are the first points of contact for students, they are also in a unique position of being daily witnesses of student distress, but most lack formal training to recognize or respond to that distress, leaving students feeling distressed until crisis moments. This project proposes a structured and evidence-based Faculty Training Program for Bahria University to facilitate faculty to identify the distress of students, respond with empathy and refer them for counseling services. The program consists of five modules: Mental Health Awareness; Communication and Counseling Skills; Crisis Intervention and Referral; Supportive Classroom Practices; and Collaboration with Mental Health Professionals. Delivery includes five 90-minute modules totaling 7.5 hours of direct instruction, supplemented by asynchronous video case studies and a Distress Response Card. Thirty volunteer faculty will be trained first, followed by a rollout to the campus, with pre and post training assessment. This program seeks to show improved faculty self-efficacy, decreased response uncertainty, greater early referrals to the Wellness Center and better student perceptions of faculty support within one academic year. By implementing this program, BUIC is emerging as a model institution that could play a major role in promoting pedagogy centered on students' well-being in Pakistan, which is becoming increasingly common in the country due to increasing mental health issues among students.