Disability Resources & Services

Tips for Mental Emotional Disorders

The following academic tips should assist you in working with students who have mental emotional disorders in post-secondary education. Recommended on-campus referral sources are also included.  ​  

Academic Tips for students with mental emotional disorders 

• Arrange meetings later in the day to accommodate sleep and medication issues 
• Provide copies of instructor notes or PowerPoint presentations 
• Recommend a reduced course load 
• Recommend online courses, incompletes or hybrid classes when absences are excessive 
• Be firm and clear with absence policy and give frequent reminders
• Give verbal reminders of assignments and test dates   

More Academic Tips:  

• Suggest dropping a class or two if academic load is too heavy 
• Suggest recording lectures and meetings to improve memory retention 
• Preferential seating can make these students more comfortable 
• Be tolerant of frequent visits, questions and concerns 
• Inform student in advance of any changes, give details
• Inform student of poor test or homework grades in private
• Known medication can cause unwarranted side effects 

CGCC Referral Sources:

• Advisement and Enrollment Services for heavy course loads, drop/add, incompletes
• CGCC Learning Center for tutoring services
• Counseling and Personal Development courses, i.e. Strategies for College Success
• Disability Resources and Services (DRS) for academic accommodations
• Student Life and Leadership for social integration
• Student Support Services for behavioral health intervention