How to Help a Friend

• Start by Believing - You may be the first person they are telling their story to. How you respond may determine their next steps in getting the help they need.


• Check on their safety - Are they physically safe? Do they need medical attention? Do they want to hurt themselves? Please see Get Help for more information on where they can go.


• Listen to them - Sometimes all a person wants is for someone to hear their story. They may not want your advice at this time, but may really just want you to listen.


• Support their decisions and feelings - We don’t often know what they are going through. They may say things that does not seem like a "normal" response. That’s OK. Tell them you understand that this is their experience and they should not feel bad for thinking or feeling a certain way.


• Let them know you are concerned - We tend to want to help our friends get out of their bad situations by telling them what they should do. We can definitely offer resources like the PAU Violence Program, but let them know it is out of concern versus telling them what they should do.