Higher Education

Higher Education Programming

We promote faculty and staff mental health and well-being through innovative, strengths-focused, and culturally relevant supports.

Professional Development

We deliver workshops and master classes to help faculty and staff support students in distress and their own well-being.

Training

We train graduate and undergraduate students in working as campus mental health and well-being professionals.

Research

We conduct proactive research to better equip campuses with actionable best practices.

Consultation

We offer organizational and unit consultations to design and enhance mental health and well-being services.

Collaboration

Campus mental health and well-being stakeholders collaborate across the three Iowa higher education systems (Regent Universities, community colleges, and private universities and colleges) to share resources, spark innovation, and develop a higher education mental health/well-being summit. To join the State of Iowa Higher Education Collaborative, email Barry Schreier at barry-schreier@uiowa.edu.

Care for Self

Practices for maintaining or improving our own mental health and well-being.

Care for Others

Practices for helping others in maintaining or improving their mental health and well-being.

We take a three-step approach “Caring for Self While Caring for Others” to supporting and engaging in campus mental health and well-being.

#1 Prevention

Actions taken to prevent concerns from becoming problems.

Example: Regularly available and updated training to assist staff and faculty in recognizing student distress and how best to engage in early interventions.

#2 Intervention

Actions taken to keep problems from escalating to crises.

Example: Readily available variety of mental health and well-being online platforms for easy, customizable, and culturally curatable access to supports and services.

#3 Postvention

Actions taken to keep crisis contained.

Example: Easy to access and use protocols for responding with immediacy to campus tragedies for departments, offices, colleges, and other campus units.

50%+

More than half don’t feel adequately prepared to recognize when a student is exhibiting signs of psychological distress including depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide (58% of faculty/staff and 51% of undergraduate students).

60%+

More than 60% don’t feel adequately prepared to approach at-risk students to discuss their concern (66% of faculty/staff and 61% of undergraduate students).

87%+

More than 87% say that it is part of their role as faculty, staff, or student to connect students experiencing psychological distress with mental health support services (95% of faculty/staff and 87% of undergraduate students).

~50%

At lease half don’t feel adequately prepared to recommend mental health support services to students (49% of faculty/staff and 52% of undergraduate students).