{"id":1009,"date":"2023-04-05T16:13:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T16:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/demo-dean-of-the-college\/?page_id=1009"},"modified":"2023-05-01T11:30:46","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T15:30:46","slug":"lonely-and-isolated","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wellness-resources-previous\/supporting-students\/student-encounters\/lonely-and-isolated\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Encounter: Lonely and Isolated"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- Inserted by Dropdownizer plugin. Forces video embeds contained in dropdowns to have a size --><style>.dropdownizer__dropdown iframe { width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; }<\/style>\n<p>The student just went through a romantic relationship breakup. Their friendship group was closer with their ex than with them, so now they do not have regular access to friends either. The student is feeling lonely and isolated and is beginning to eat meals in their room, and avoiding their usual activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Listen<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Initiate conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Describe observations, express feelings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Observations can be of the moment (\u201cI hear you describing feelings of loneliness,\u201d \u201cYou seem to be really down about this breakup,\u201d)<\/li><li>Observations can be from recent experiences (\u201cI noticed during your shifts this week you\u2019ve been withdrawn,\u201d \u201cI haven\u2019t seen you eating with your friends in the Retreat this week,\u201d)<\/li><li>Feelings as a result of observations (\u201cI\u2019m worried about how withdrawn you have been recently,\u201d \u201cI feel concerned that you have been only eating in your room,\u201d)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ask open questions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How are you feeling?<\/li><li>How are you providing care and support for yourself?<\/li><li>How have you managed feelings like this in the past?<\/li><li>What are ways that you feel connected to others?<\/li><li>What orgs are you involved in? What are your interests?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Provide empathy and validation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\u201cI can understand why this is a difficult time for you.\u201d<\/li><li>\u201cIt\u2019s okay to feel your feelings, even if they\u2019re challenging or contradictory\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Normalize and reduce stigma<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ask what kind of support they would like<\/strong> (problem-solving, listening, referrals)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\u201cWould you like me to provide suggestions to help you?\u201d<\/li><li>\u201cAre you looking to vent your feelings to me, or would you like some problem-solving support? I am here for both\u201d<\/li><li>\u201cI am here to listen as you navigate this challenging time. What other kind of support are you comfortable with me providing?\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem-Solving<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Specific, concrete steps<\/li><li>Anticipate barriers or resistance (What if that first plan doesn\u2019t work out? What is another approach you might use?)<\/li><li>Acknowledge autonomy around choices for student<\/li><li>Assist in developing a plan<\/li><li>What orgs is the student involved in? What are their interests? Can you make some introductions with them?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Refer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Identify support systems<\/strong> (friends at school, friends at home, family, clinical support, trusted administrators and faculty, supervisors, other meaningful connections)<\/li><li><strong>SSN report if appropriate<\/strong> (heightened concern around safety or access to campus resources, or if more comprehensive support plans need to be developed with campus partners)<\/li><li>House Advisor referral<\/li><li>If first-year, explore peer support of Student Fellow<\/li><li>For academic support, Class Advisor through Dean of Studies<\/li><li>Depending on identities held, explore support through the various offices at SGE<\/li><li>Follow up for support in a few days\/weeks with student<\/li><li>Seek consultation with campus partners as needed<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\">.menu-item-974 { margin-top: 1em; }<\/style>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The student just went through a romantic relationship breakup. Their friendship group was closer with their ex than with them, so now they do not have regular access to friends either. The student is feeling lonely and isolated and is beginning to eat meals in their room, and avoiding their usual activities. Listen Initiate conversation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":991,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1009","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1009"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1144,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1009\/revisions\/1144"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/dean-of-the-college\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}