LIGHT (Listen – Inquire – Guide – Honor – Tend) is a compassionate, research-informed faculty training framework designed to support student mental health and well-being. Developed in response to the growing mental health crisis on college campuses, the LIGHT strategy equips first-year university instructors with practical tools to recognize and respond to student distress using a trauma-informed, pedagogy-of-care approach.

This training replaces the previously used ALGEE model with a more adaptable, inclusive strategy grounded in instructional design best practices and universal design for learning (UDL). Faculty participants engage with interactive scenario-based learning, reflection activities, and institutional resource overviews to build confidence and competence in responding to students in crisis.

The acronym LIGHT guides faculty through five key actions:

• Listen – Provide space for the student to share without interruption or judgment.
  
  
• Inquire – Ask open, compassionate questions to better understand the student’s experience.
  
  
• Guide – Offer initial guidance and normalize help-seeking behaviors.
  
  
• Honor – Acknowledge the student’s identity, courage, and boundaries in the conversation.
  
  
• Tend – Follow up, connect with support services, and care for yourself as a responder.
  
  

Through this training, faculty develop practical, empathetic intervention skills and a deeper understanding of their role as a frontline support system in fostering student success and safety.

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