My Student Has a Mental Health or Substance Issue. Now What?
When you see odd classroom behavior, you might wonder if the student is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Or, is the student suffering from depression? An addiction? What can or should you do?
Your response depends on a number of factors, which are described in detail in this Magna 20 Minute Mentor by W. Scott Lewis, J.D.
During this 20 minute professional development program, you will:
- Learn basic identification criteria for reporting and responding to students who have a mental health or substance abuse issue
- Learn your obligations, risks, and responsibilities
- Find out what 5 questions you should ask when deciding what to do
- Learn how you manage this sensitive information
In addition, you get all supplemental materials including:
- A sample syllabus statement
- Do’s and don’ts, and
- Two scripts showing you how to respond to a disruptive student during class
Learning outcomes
At the conclusion of this program, you will:
- Be prepared to respond competently and confidently to a student of yours whose behavior is too disruptive to continue class.
- Understand how to properly document incidents involving a student who is struggling with a mental health or substance abuse problem.
- Have a checklist of possible available campus resources and know who to call and when in the event of an incident.

Meet Your Mentor:
![]() | W. Scott Lewis, J.D. |
- PDF Transcript
- Supplemental Materials
- PowerPoint Handouts
Make this program available for ongoing training
Order the Campus Access License and load the CD content onto your institution’s internal web site for unlimited, convenient, on-demand access for all members of your campus community.





