Inventive Help for Mental Health One College Student Would Suggest to Another
August 25, 2017
To meet the mental health needs of college students, an increasing array of resources may help supplement the traditional services offered on campus. That is according to some mental health professionals—and students themselves. Such resources include online platforms that can connect users with therapists, such as Zencare and Talkspace. Peer support services, such as Koko, Project LETS, and Lean on Me, aim to help students who are experiencing less critical levels of distress and may not require the services of a crisis hotline. Programs run by The Trevor Project offer support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students, including a crisis hotline, texting and chat services, and a peer-to-peer social networking site. On-campus education and advocacy group Active Minds works to connect students to one another and encourage help-seeking. “One of our key messages is that if you’re a student on your campus struggling with a mental illness, you’re not alone,” said Active Minds Director of Programs Laura Horne. “[Students] know better than anyone what the barriers are. And so any time decisions are being made about mental health on campuses, students should have a seat at the table, because they are often the ones who know what’s going to work best to support those diverse needs.”
Spark Extra! Check out our Virtual Learning Lab for campus suicide prevention.