5 Ways to Support Mental Health at Your Higher Education Institution

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and each year millions of Americans, including those in higher education, face the reality of living with a mental illness. According to HigherEducationToday, research on college students and their mental health shows three out of 10 students have struggled with depression, and over one in four have expressed issues with anxiety. Even more distressing is the one in 20 college students who had created a suicide plan in the past year. These findings are a major cause for concern for higher education administrators, faculty, and staff. So, what can be done to assist your students with their mental health concerns? Here are five ways to support your students and staffs mental health on campus:

Students are seeking assistance from their higher education institutions as they grapple with the aftermath of various challenges, from financial struggles to remote learning to illness or other circumstances. These social and economic ramifications have resulted in an increased need for support. As students’ mental health concerns continue to grow, many higher education institutions have responded to these concerns by creating a task force. This task force can identify areas of need and opportunities for change. They can survey students about the types of services students would like made available and can coordinate mental health efforts across campus.

By creating the position of Chief Wellness Officer, like the University of West Georgia did, there will be an associate who can offer assistance and resources for mental health, food insecurity, and financial instability to students, faculty, and staff. Though this administer-level position is becoming increasingly popular across higher education institutions, it doesn’t exist on many campuses. Institutions need to create a space for dedicated leadership overseeing a holistic, integrated approach to student well-being. eCampus News explains the Chief Wellness Officer can provide critical vision, bandwidth, and expertise to strategically align campus efforts, identify gaps in resources, assess progress, and adapt as needed.

If your campus is unable to create a Chief Wellness Officer position, a good alternative can be to provide training to help faculty and staff recognize and respond to mental health-related concerns. Psychiatric Times suggests the training should be convenient, without additional cost to the employee, and offered in virtual or online formats. Also, they suggest this training uses interactive educational techniques involving role play with common case scenarios seen in campus settings. Another alternative is to offer a peer support group which involves training faculty and staff to help their peer groups recognize and respond to mental health crises. These peer supporters may be more accessible to those in need.

With options like digital and telehealth sessions, students living off campus can access their institution’s mental health resources. Inside Higher Ed shared in a study, by TimelyMD, that 85 percent of college students said they were experiencing increased stress and anxiety about the uncertainty going on in their lives. They also noted that less than 25 percent of students surveyed reached out for help, showing there is an awareness gap in the availability of virtual counseling resources. If your institution offers virtual mental health services, let that be known around your campuses.

With the passing of the Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act  all higher education institutions are required to provide contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, and a campus mental health center on all student identification cards they issue. This is a way for students to always have easy access to mental health resources. Additionally, there is hope that having this information made widely available will encourage students to discuss suicide and mental health openly.

There are many reasons your higher education institution should invest in your students’ mental health. From improving student academic performance to suicide prevention and increasing student retention, it’s crucial for higher education to prioritize student mental health. When students are looking at which higher education institutions to attend, they may take into consideration what mental health resources your institution offers—be ready to meet their needs.