Mental Health Awareness Month: Best Practices for Campus Leaders

One in five teens and young adults live with a mental health condition, and three-quarters develop one by age 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. And, it's no secret that campus administrators are seeing a mental health crisis at their institutions. 

In fact, the most recent findings from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment show that about 50 percent of student respondents reported having moderate psychological distress, while more than 20 percent reported having serious psychological distress. This can have a serious impact on retention, academic success, and career readiness.

Vector Solutions recognizes the importance of early intervention and prevention strategies to support the mental well-being of students, faculty, and staff and aims to equip campus members with the tools and knowledge they need to promote a healthy campus environment.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we are providing a variety of valuable and complementary resources for practitioners and administrators that can help change student and employee behaviors regarding mental health and well-being.

Best Practices to Support Mental Health on Campus

Many institutions are supporting student mental health by implementing effective initiatives on campus that encourage faculty, staff, and students to better assess their mental health, promote available resources on campus, and how to seek out help. We have provided a few of our favorite practices below:

• Promote and share available resources your institution provides through social media or email communications on a regular basis. It is essential that community members are aware of supportive resources provided by your institution.
• Provide a website or app that faculty, staff, and students can access 24/7, which allows members to contact campus officials, reach resources provided by the institution, or share concerns about a colleague or student.
• Educate faculty, staff, and students through online mental health education that focuses on key stressors, how to identify mental illness, how to create a positive environment, what to do if they or someone they know is suffering from a mental illness or crisis, and more.
• Encourage faculty, staff, and students to check in with their mental health the same way they would with their physical health, by taking free health assessments.

It's important to focus on mental health throughout the entire academic year to better understand how your current efforts are impacting faculty, staff, and students and to find areas where you can improve.

Resources for Campus Leaders to Support Mental Health on Campus

Webinar | Mental Health Awareness

Join us for our upcoming webinar, Strategies to Build a Comprehensive Athlete Well-Being Plan at Your Institution on Wednesday, May 17 at 2:00 PM (ET) to learn how athletic programs can maximize their investment in athlete-specific mental well-being training by building a comprehensive program that supports and reinforces the mental well-being of athletes across the organization.

Register Today!

Guide | The New Landscape for Student Well-Being

This comprehensive, research-driven assessment provides unprecedented insights into the coronavirus outbreak having a dramatic psychological effect on college students, students experiencing some challenges to their mental health and well-being during the pandemic, and college and university leaders looking for new approaches to engage students and make their institutions more welcoming and safer.

Download Now

Guide | An Evidence-Informed Curriculum to Support Student Mental Health and Wellness

As institutions of higher education seek to educate the whole student, they must also explore ways in which they can provide skills training to foster mental well-being and encourage seeking support. This white paper discusses how the best approaches are rounded in evidence that has been validated by existing research on effective prevention practices.

Download Now

Explore Our Mental Well-Being Courses

Our mental well-being suite offers training for all campus members, including:

• Mental Well-Being for Students
• Mental Well-Being for Graduate Students
• Mental Well-Being for Athletes (New)
• Mental Well-Being for Faculty and Staff
• Mental Well-Being for Student Organizations (Coming Soon)

Learn More Today!