Taking Care of Ourselves & Each Other

Health & Well-Being

Stanford
Dean of Students
Jane Stanford Way. Credit: Andrew Brodhead / newslibrary@stanford.edu

Get Support for Students

Learn more about how to get help for yourself or someone you are concerned about. Please reference the information below for guidance for students, faculty, staff, and parents and family seeking support. 

 

Campus scenes, 2023. Credit: Micaela Go

Support Options

Emergency Support Related to a Safety Concern

If you need emergency support related to a safety concern (including medical emergencies, life-threatening situations, and crimes) please call 9-1-1.

Urgent Support Related to a Mental Health Concern

If you need urgent support related to a mental health concern, you can contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) 24 hours a day at 650.723.3785.

Immediate Confidential Support Related to an Incident of Sexual Harassment or Sexual Violence

If you need immediate confidential support related to an incident of sexual harassment or sexual violence, you can contact the YWCA during walk-in hours at 408.649.7686 (or 24 hours a day at 800.572.2782).

Non-Emergency Support

If you need non-emergency support, please submit a referral to the Dean of Students Office, contact us at deanofstudents@stanford.edu or 650.723.2733, or learn more below about how to reach the Resident Director or Graduate Life Dean On-Call.

Guidance for Students Seeking Support

Staff in the Dean of Students Office, Residential Education, and Graduate Life Office provide support to students on a wide range of issues, and can help students understand the support resources that are available at the university. 

I Need Help / I Am Concerned About Myself

If you need help, you can reach out using one of the following options:

  • All students (non-urgent support) - Any students can submit a request for support online and the Dean of Students Office will follow up with you as soon as possible. Our office is open during business hours 9am-5pm, and is closed on the weekends and during university holidays and closures.
     
  • Undergraduate students living on campus (urgent support) - if you are an undergraduate student living on-campus and need urgent assistance, you can contact the Resident Director On-Call at 650.504.8022.
     
  • Graduate students (urgent or non-urgent support) - if you are a graduate student, you can either
    • (Non-urgent support): Email the Graduate Life Office
    • (Urgent support): Text the GLO pager via email. Include your name and reason for paging in the message.
    • (Urgent support): Call the GLO pager at 650.723.7288. You will reach a Stanford operator. Provide pager ID #25085 and indicate that you need to reach the graduate dean-on-call.

I Am Concerned About Another Student

Peer support is one of the most important and effective ways of getting help for students managing distress or difficult life circumstances. If you are concerned about another Stanford student, you are encouraged to share your concern with the Dean of Students Office. Although we are not able to disclose information about students or share information about actions that we might take, your insights about another student can be incredibly helpful to us in creating a community of care.

Please consider offering support resources and encouraging students to contact campus resources. One resource that students commonly use is Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) - you can contact CAPS 24 hours a day about yourself or a friend by calling 650.723.3785.

I Received an Email / Letter from the Dean of Students Office

When you receive an email/letter from the Dean of Students Office, this means that we received information suggesting that you might benefit from a supportive conversation and connection with additional support. Our goal is to meet with you, hear about what you have been experiencing, and try to connect you with the right resources to help manage your needs. Meetings with the Dean of Students Office are intended to be a supportive measure to help support you through whatever you may be going through. We encourage you to contact us to schedule a time to meet.

  • Please note: Messages from the Dean of Students Office may appear in your email as being sent by "notifications@maxient.com" - this is a secure system that our office uses to send letters and communicate about cases, and it is safe to open attachments sent by this email address.

 

Guidance for Staff & Faculty Seeking Support

Faculty and staff are often the first to know when a student might need support - we encourage you to reach out to the Dean of Students Office with your concerns or make a referral through our secure online form. Once referrals are received and assessed, someone from our office may contact you to gather more information and/or coordinate regarding an action plan as needed.

  • If you have questions about submitting a report, please email us or call 650.723.2733. Please also refer to the Stanford University Red Folder for additional guidance on supporting a student in distress, and for more information about other resources.

Guidance for Parents & Families Seeking Support

Parents and families are often important parts of a student’s support network during their time in college or graduate school, and we welcome you to share concerns about your students with the Dean of Students Office.Our staff are able to answer general questions about support resources and processes at the university. Please note that university staff are required to maintain privacy around student records, and therefore we are generally unable to discuss any information that we have about a specific student. To share a concern about a student, please submit a referral to our office or contact us.

Campus scenes, 2023. Credit: Micaela Go