We value the interest that faculty and staff show in the well-being of our students at BCIT, and the central role that you have in connecting students with campus services.
Students may or may not ask for help directly. Faculty and staff are often in positions to identify and refer students in difficulty. Recognizing signs of distress and making timely responses may be critical factors in helping students resolve problems that are interfering with their success or are otherwise putting them at risk.
Student distress has many forms, and supporting students to seek professional counselling has been shown to provide significant relief and to be a factor in student success, well-being, performance, persistence, retention, and graduation rates. Please refer to the Responding to Students in Distress Employee Guide and The Student Well-being Toolkit for Instructors for more information about how you can help, when counselling may be indicated and beneficial to a student, and how to make a referral to Counselling and Student Development.
BCIT students can make appointments with a counsellor at the Burnaby or Downtown campus by calling 604-432-8608. Students with urgent needs will be seen at the first available time. Counselling for students is free and confidential. No information is released unless authorized by the student or required by law. When appropriate, students may be referred to other BCIT or community services.
Faculty and staff are also welcome to consult with Counselling and Student Development about student well-being or concerns by calling 604-432-8608.