How to support Faculty and Student Support Staff

On college campuses, mental health is a growing issue. According to the National Education Association, 38% of faculty and staff are often or always emotionally exhausted. Similarly, the American Psychological Association found that 60% of college students meet the criteria to participate in a mental health program. Problems are mounting, and students face more pressures, such as insomnia, inability to concentrate and lack of confidence.

In response to these needs, Karen G. Foley, President of the Juvenile Protective Association (JPA) in Chicago, is expanding the work of her organization – which provides counseling services to children at the K-12 level – to support college and universities. After meeting Jamal Scott, Vice Provost for High School Students and Dean of the College of Secondary Education at Louis University (NLU), at a holiday party, he was inspired to make this contribution. . In discussing their organizations, the two leaders realized that they would benefit from collaboration. NLU needed mental health services for its faculty and students, and JPA has a long track record of working with teachers.

Like many colleges and universities, NLU has found that its students are frustrated and socially isolated. They also had students who showed sadness, depression and suicidal thoughts. According to Foley, “When students come into the classroom, they bring all these feelings and experiences with them. It can be dangerous for adults who care about their well-being but are not equipped to deal with these issues.”

JPA created a program at NLU called C2K, which involves “assigning a social worker who consults with college success coaches as they work through the challenges their students face.” A counselor is assigned to NLU, is on campus one day a week, and provides telephone interviews. JPA provides faculty and students with one-on-one counseling, group counseling, retreat hours, professional development programs on teacher-selected topics, and crisis support. JPA offers many services to test which ones are most popular.

Since the partnership with NLU is a pilot program for JPA, the organization is also evaluating its effectiveness. Specifically, they are measuring: 1.) The extent to which success coaches report a reduction in stress and improved ability to work with students as a result of the interviews; 2.) The extent to which they report being able to successfully implement strategies with students at risk of academic failure as a result of the discussion; and 3.) The extent to which C2K interventions support the University’s ongoing mission for first-year students.

Because of the many mental health needs in colleges and universities, JPA also provides general practical advice. According to Foley, “What we find in JPA is that educators – whatever level they teach – understand and appreciate the concept of community development, the concept. However, they often struggle with to incorporate these practices into their daily work. Furthermore, educators may not be aware of their motivations or biases. Once they are examined and evaluated, they find that they able to use methods related to social issues even when there are very difficult students.” He added, “We also know that teachers care deeply about their students and often feel unprepared to respond when a student confides in them about a stressful or challenging event.”

Foley emphasized that it’s important to remember that educators are people, too. They have their own issues that can interfere with their ability to fully commit to their students on any given day. By equipping teachers with knowledge, practical skills, insight and ongoing support, they are better able to manage and support the needs of their students.

Karen Gross, a mental health professional in academic settings, and author of Curating Education (and Edward KS Wang), believes it is important to support college faculty and staff while supporting students. He said, “We are becoming more aware and aware of the mental health issues facing our students. It’s good news because, when we don’t have the ability to communicate issues and issues on campus, we I can’t solve it. But, unfortunately, we didn’t address the mental health needs of our department.” He added, “There are many reasons to give such support efforts, and their minimum is that: if students and staff struggle, they cannot help students succeed – academically and mentally. Simply put, one cannot pour from an empty cup. So if an institution really cares about the mental health of its students, it should pay attention to the mental health of the people who serve its students.”