Having Trouble Meeting Your Deadline?

Get your assignment on ARU Mental Health on College Campuses Discussion Reply  completed on time. avoid delay and – ORDER NOW

Do my paper

Please respond to. Alicia:

Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAOs) are managing complex budget challenges due to reduced state and federal funding and a reduction in revenue from declining retention of students.  More students are leaving higher education or not finishing their degrees, due to rising costs.  Mental health crisis has increased on college campuses in the last three to five years, requiring universities to invest in a more substantive student health service. CSAOs have faced a higher rate of employee exodus, causing disruptions to student service and operations. These challenges are just a few that CSAOs have faced in the last decade, which requires the new CSAO to be visionary, holistic, and innovative.  In the article, Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach; Abrams discusses the need for campuses to create a culture of holistic well-being for the student.

Student health and well-being on college campuses can arguably be the most pressing challenge that CSAOs face. More students are entering college with a mental health concern in the last decade. The author states, “During the 2020–2021 school year, more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem.” Counseling centers have seen an uptick in the number of students seeking care, requiring universities to hire more staff.  The author states, “the number of students seeking help at campus counseling centers increased almost 40% between 2009 and 2015 and continued to rise until the pandemic began, according to data from Penn State University’s Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH).” However, hiring more counselors is not sufficient and will not keep up with the rising demand in mental health care.

As the author points out, more students feel comfortable seeking care, which has resulted in higher volume.  The stigma around mental health has shifted over the last decade and students want to participate in more talk therapy.  The current student is facing stressors that are resulting in additional stress.  Whether students are dealing with complicated relationships, family life, sexual violence, the economy, social injustice, and various losses related to the pandemic, a holistic care approach is required on university campuses.  The author indicates that current counseling center models do not provide appropriate access and care, there is a need to provide immediate access and intake through walk-ins. Counseling centers need “to minimize students slipping through the cracks, and schools are dedicating more resources to rapid access and assessment, where students can walk in for a same-day intake or single counseling session, rather than languishing on a waitlist for weeks or months.”

To provide holistic care on college campuses and ensure that every student feels comfortable seeing a therapist through a walk-in, there must be a stepped model used by clinicians.  Mental health therapists need to intake and assess each student and determine if they need individualized therapy.  For decades, college campuses have relied heavily on individualized talk therapy, lending to the conversation that more staffing is required/needed.  This is not the case and not every student needs individualized therapy.  The author discusses the need for Counseling Directors to utilize various forms of therapy to address the growing demands on counseling centers. For instance, students who are facing academic stressors may benefit from workshops on test taking, sleep management, and goal setting. Peer counseling is often used for students who are having difficulty adjusting with relationships, low self-esteem, or interpersonal conflict.  Individualized counseling is reserved for students with acute concerns of eating disorders, sexual trauma, and depression.

Another tool being utilized by Counseling Directors to address mental health challenges and provide holistic care include the training of faculty and staff.  The author states, “about 900 faculty and staff at the University of North Carolina have received training in mental health first aid, which provides basic skills for supporting people with mental health and substance use issues.”  Universities are offering workshops and materials that teach faculty to “recognize, respond, and refer.” The referrals are logged into customer service management systems, like Navigate. Navigate provides a one-stop approach to student well-being and permits faculty, staff, and student services to be alerted and on the same page to providing a holistic culture of care. Students can download the Navigate app and they can “ask for help” through their “hand raise” option and receive immediate response from a team member.

CSAOs must continue to approach student well-being from a holistic approach and rely on stakeholders across the university for support.  Different methods of counseling must be considered to ensure that students can walk-in.  Research supports additional therapists are not the answer to the mental health crisis and will not meet the demand.  Peer to peer support groups, informal talk sessions across campus, and preventive training will help ease the volume that counseling centers are facing. Unlimited individual therapy sessions will not provide the opportunity for all students to be seen. Group therapy must be considered when appropriate and will ensure that students are receiving support. These methods will ensure that students receive timely care and support, ultimately improving retention on college campuses.

References

Abrams, Z. (2022). Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach. American Psychological Association, 1-10.