As a family member of a Bentley student, you offer a valuable perspective to the Care Team. You may be able to provide information about your student that helps the Care Team better understand your student’s behaviors and challenges to reach out to them with helpful options.
We encourage family members to submit a Care referral when you have a non-urgent concern for a Bentley student and would like assistance in offering support. You may want to submit a Care referral if you notice:
- Changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Increased use of alcohol or other substances
- Engaging in reckless behavior or making choices that are out of character and potentially harmful
- Difficulty coping with daily stressors or challenges, seeming more worried and stressed than usual
- Increasingly sad, irritable, anxious, or angry
- Disorganized speech or behavior
- Neglecting personal hygiene like frequency of bathing or changing clothes
- Looking consistently tired or significantly energized
- Significant weight change
- Serious illness or death of a close family member or friend
- Managing significant physical or mental health challenges
- Family conflict
- Financial concerns
- Impacted by national or international event
- Suddenly becoming less communicative without explanation
- Increase in overly apologetic or self-deprecating remarks in communications
- Uncharacteristic impulsivity or harshness in responses
- Difficulty connecting at Bentley
- Avoiding eye contact or physical proximity in situations where they were once comfortable
- Spending a lot of time alone, avoiding conversations or group activities
- Showing indifference towards hobbies or activities that once provided joy
- Sharing posts that demonstrate a significant shift in values or personal outlook
- Increasing frequency of posts that display negative emotions or distressing life events
- Exhibiting a pattern of late-night or erratic posting
- Demonstrating a noticeable decline in the quality or tone of interactions with others
- Vocalizing a feeling of being unable to cope with the academic workload, campus demands, or personal challenges
- Expressions of loneliness or detachment when discussing their experiences on campus
- Sharing feelings of inadequacy when comparing themselves to peers
- Describing campus life as overwhelming or unsatisfying
Submit a Care Referral
Have concerns for a student but are not sure on how to start the conversation? Below are some suggestions from the Care Team:
| "We were reading about some of the support services that Bentley offers, like tutoring and counseling. It might be good to check them out even if you feel you don't need them right now. What do you think?" |
| "I've noticed you've seemed stressed lately. Please remember I'm here to listen, support, and help you navigate through this. |
| "We've been thinking about how stressful being a student can be sometimes. How have you been feeling about everything? It's completely okay to share if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, and there are people at Bentley who can help too." |
| "If you ever feel like things are getting too much, Bentley has great resources. It's okay to seek help when you need it. There is a group on campus called the Care Team that can assist students in identifying which campus resources may be the most helpful to them. Would you like us to look up more information together?" |
| "Let's make it a point to have a weekly catch-up call. It doesn’t always have to be about school; just telling us about your week and how you're feeling can help us stay connected and support you better." |