Creating Campus Conversations Around Mental Health

A majority of college students believe their institution encourages open dialogue around mental health (70 percent), but only three in five believe their college or university is concerned about students’ mental health, according to a February survey by TimelyCare and Active Minds.

While young people today are more likely than generations before them to talk about mental health and the emotional stress they face, the data showed college leaders could do more to facilitate caring conversations at all levels.

In a Nov. 7 webinar, hosted by TimelyCare and Active Minds, campus community members shared their perspectives on what could improve dialogue around mental health on campuses.

Students say: A May Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found 43 percent of college students say stress is impacting their ability to focus, learn and perform well academically “a great deal,” with a total of 85 percent of students affected at least somewhat.

Over a quarter of respondents said their mental health was fair or poor (28 percent) and fewer than half (42 percent) rate their mental health as excellent or good.

Despite a significant number of students experiencing these concerns, fewer students say they know their role in addressing the issue. The TimelyCare/Active Minds survey (which represented the opinions of 1,089 college students) found one-third of students know how to help make their institution a place where people feel comfortable discussing mental health.

Put into practice: Some initiatives currently in place at colleges and universities across the U.S. to facilitate discourse around mental health include:

• Providing regular communication. As a first-year college student at Middlebury College, Amna Mohammed shared that students sometimes can’t remember what services are available or where they can turn for help, “even though it’s right in front of us.” Consistent emails from counselors or other health resource officers can improve this awareness among students.
• Utilizing students’ attention. At Sweet Briar College, campus leaders will post notices containing public health information inside bathroom stalls because it’s a captive audience, said Kerry Greenstein, dean of student life. Colleges and universities can place messaging in spaces where students already frequent, such as college transportation vehicles or dining facilities, to reach them with important information.
• Involving faculty and staff. Addressing negative perceptions of help-seeking behaviors or mental illness requires full campus buy-in. Instructors and other practitioners can signal their willingness to support students by having a syllabus statement or displaying signage or stickers that show they’re an ally in this work, said Amy Gatto, vice president of measurement at Active Minds.

• Passing along data and resources. College leaders and practitioners are often accessing resources or research providing insight into best practices or national data that inform their work. This information doesn’t have to be exclusive to administrators, faculty and staff, Greenstein says, but could be shared with students to open up dialogue about general trends in higher education and on campus.
• Addressing affinity groups and spaces. Some students are already in community with one another and providing needed emotional and mental health support, so providing them with the resources needed to give high-quality assistance is key. Student athletes, for example, spend significant amounts of time with their teammates, and giving them the resources to discuss mental health can create a supportive team culture.
• Providing professional training and development. Fellow students, in addition to faculty and staff, are most likely to hear from students that they’re struggling, compared to counseling center staff, said Shenay Bridges-Carter, clinical psychologist at Northwestern University’s counseling center. So preparing these constituents to have difficult conversations and referring learners in distress to the appropriate spaces is key.
• Starting at the beginning. A growing number of colleges and universities will highlight mental health resources during orientation or first-year programs, but this conversation can happen even earlier during prospective-student events, Greenstein said. Highlighting services not only ensures students have greater awareness if they decide to enroll, but also acknowledges that many learners struggle with poor mental health and that the institution is trying to address it.

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