aAfter the pandemic shut down Duke University’s campus in 2020, public policy professor Nick Kearns worried about what would happen to his students, both educationally and emotionally. Wanting to help in any way he can, he added a simple message to his email signature.
“Note to students,” he wrote. “If you have and/or know of any issues regarding safety, health, access to education or other resources that you should speak to now, please contact me or any other professor at Duke University. Please let me know. Another student in need. If in doubt, please contact me.”
Three years later, the campus returned to pre-pandemic normalcy, but Kearns saw no reason to delete the message. “A lot of students will probably roll their eyes,” he says. “But you want them to internalize what they can do to deal with a crisis, so reminding them of that feels kind of trite and comical.”
Not so long ago, it may not have been obvious that public policy professors would be willing to talk about their students’ stressors and struggles. But these days, record numbers of teenagers and young adults are reporting mental health issues, and Kearns is part of a growing trend.
Universities have long offered health and counseling centers on campus, but the demand for mental health support has skyrocketed and many schools are unable to respond through traditional means. In addition to hiring more therapists, it’s a costly and difficult proposition given the state of the U.S. behavioral health field. Thousands of needed clinicians missing— Universities across the country are looking to faculty, staff, and even students to help bridge the gap.
“The mental health crisis has significantly increased demand for services, fewer people are entering the profession and many are leaving the profession,” said Sarah Reeves-Houston, who runs the Behavioral Health Program at North University. says. Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Expanding the availability of community support is a faster and more viable approach than training a new generation of therapists, not to mention a more affordable approach, and ultimately a more effective one. That could happen, says Reeves-Houston. Because it “widens the net.” ”
Training for faculty, staff and students
To date, UNC has mentored more than 900 faculty, staff, and students. Mental health first aid, backed by research A program that teaches people how to identify and respond to signs of mental distress in others. Participation is largely voluntary and, perhaps unsurprisingly, demand is highest among faculty members in “helping professions” such as nursing and social work, Professor Reeves-Houston says. . In the future, the school plans to focus recruitment on subjects such as business and science to reach a wider audience, she said.
The need is clear.in investigation A survey of nearly 7,000 U.S. college students during the 2022-2023 academic year found that 41% reported recent symptoms of depression, 36% said they had recently felt anxious, and 14% had considered suicide in the past year. I answered. Another investigation A survey a few years ago found that 60% of students experienced “overwhelming” anxiety, and half said they felt so depressed that it was difficult to function.
Kearns, a professor at Duke University, acknowledged that it can be daunting to help students when they reach out for advice. “I’m not a psychologist. I’m not a therapist,” he says. “There’s always this fear in my mind, ‘What if a student asks me a question that I don’t know how to answer?’ But I had to overcome that fear. ‘What if a student asks me a question that I don’t know how to answer?’ If you have a question, we can refer you to someone who can answer it.”
Cognitive scientist Sian Beilock, who recently became president of Dartmouth College, says the responsibility for ensuring students “not only do their best, but feel their best” does not end with campus counseling centers. During their college years, young people “acquire skills and habits that will last them a lifetime.” [them] Forever,” Beilock says. “This is a critical time to make sure our students have the tools to help themselves.”
To that end, when Beilock took the helm at Dartmouth College earlier this year, he announced a campus benefits plan that included training for many faculty members in mental health first aid and suicide prevention. Creation of a new Chief Health and Human Services Officer position. and policies that allow students to take time away from their studies to care for their mental or physical health without losing access to campus and with health insurance financial assistance if needed.
Dr. Asha Patton-Smith, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente in Virginia, says that schools often serve as “de facto mental health hubs” for students starting in early elementary school. Students attend school almost every day, and for many college students, they live there 24/7. Providing care in this familiar and accessible environment can be easier than leaving young people in the traditional mental health system, which is expensive, has long wait times, and has an insufficient supply of clinicians.
read more: Why college is a dangerous time for students’ mental health
Research shows that this approach is effective at different levels of schooling. For adolescents, school-based health programs can improve well-being and reduce suicidal ideation, drug use, and risky sexual behavior. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, on college campuses, evidence supports regular screening for mental health issues, as well as programs that teach coping skills and mindfulness. Report from the American Council on Education (Ace).
However, the ACE report also notes that programs aimed at training non-professionals in mental health support have not been universally shown to be effective in research. After the training, participants typically report feeling more knowledgeable about mental health and more confident about the idea of intervening if someone is in trouble, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to better outcomes. not. actually Nor does it mean that the person suffering continues to receive formal care. The authors write in the ACE report that these programs “are not recommended to be completely abandoned,” but they should not be the only solution for campuses.
Peer support is one approach that can enhance these programs and is used by schools such as Washington University in St. Louis, which runs Uncle Joe’s Peer Counseling and Resource Center. The center is a hotline where students can consult with a trained peer counselor who is available 24/7. In-person office hours are also available during college-friendly hours from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., and program volunteers can connect students with other resources on campus and in the community as needed. .
receive help from peers
“Unlike traditional counseling where you have counselors who are 20 or 30 years older, we’re all in similar positions in life,” says senior Mallory Leff, co-director of the program. “It’s an easier step for people to be able to talk to someone they consider more like a friend than an adult.”
Bringing allies together is also the cornerstone of nonprofit Radical Hope’s programs. The group trains students at dozens of universities across the country, including New York University, Northeastern University, and Delaware State University, to offer free His 4s designed to help their peers learn self-care, social connections, and coping skills. I teach the weekly curriculum. . CEO Liz Feld said the idea is to help students improve their health and build resilience before a crisis hits.
“Many of the problems they are dealing with are not problems that warrant clinical help,” Feld says. “What they really need is to talk to people who have gone through similar experiences and who share their thoughts, fears, anxieties and excitement about this chapter in their lives.”
That’s also true for Delaney Darde, who is co-directing Uncle Joe’s with Lev in St. Louis. “We can’t have the same experience as everyone else,” she says. “But just knowing there’s another voice and ear on campus to speak to makes a huge difference.
