Academic training in the UK clearly doesn't prepare staff to cope with emotional distress and breakdown in our students, but there is now an accessible pathway to gaining appropriate skills.
Mental health first aid (www.mentalhealthfirstaid.csip.org.uk/) is a short, evidence-based training package for use in workplaces. It focuses on how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems, how to provide initial assistance and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help. Higher education institutions should be providing this for their tutors.