Typically, these students complain about something other than their psychological difficulties. They are tense, anxious, mistrustful and have few friends. They tend to interpret minor oversights as significant personal rejection and often overreact to insignificant occurrences. They see themselves as the focal point of everyone's behavior and everything that happens has special meaning to them. They are overly concerns with fairness and being treated equally. Feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy underlie most of their behavior. They seem capable and bright.

Do'sDon'ts
Express compassion without intimate friendship.Be overly warm and nurturing.
Be firm, steady, punctual and consistent.Flatter or participate in their games.
Be specific and clear regarding the standards of behavior you expect.Challenge or agree with any mistaken or illogical beliefs.
Submit a STARs report if you believe the student would benefit from additional outreach.Be ambiguous.

Content adapted and with permission from the University of Kentucky Counseling Center.