02-06-22 Education - Flipbook - Page 10
10 The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, February 6, 2022
Goucher College's peer educators hold an event focused on sexual health.
Campus initiatives support mental health
Area colleges and universities step up to support students
By Emily Parks, Contributing Writer
T
he need to provide mental health services to students has come to the forefront especially after the events of the
past few years. Research has shown the
mental health needs of college students
have grown.
According to the website for the Mayo
Clinic Health System, 30% of college students
reported feeling depressed, with half of students reported feeling overwhelmingly anxious
in the past year. Institutions of higher education have responded to the mental health needs
of students by adding programs and services to
supplement existing services on campus.
One Baltimore-area community college has
partnered with an organization to provide
24-7 mental health support. The Community
College of Baltimore County (CCBC) has partnered with Togetherall, a mental health support resource that students can access at no
cost, at any time, and anywhere. This free
online peer-to-peer community is supervised
with licensed medical health practitioners and
available whenever students need it, providing
anonymous and immediate connections for
students. The partnership launched this fall.
Upon logging into the website using their
campus email address, the student can choose
from an array of options. Users can post
thoughts and feelings in large or small groups
or in an online journal, use a Goal Setter tool
to create and track goals, and complete selfassessments. Students can also express themselves creatively through artwork by posting a
“brick,” which is a drawing and coloring tool.
The partnership came about in part by
Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding
(HEERF) from the U.S. federal government,
established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security (CARES) Act. Guidelines
for the funding states these funds can be used
to carry out student support activities authorized by the Higher Education Act (HEA) that
address needs related to coronavirus.
Heather Griner, director of college and
community outreach at CCBC, notes in the
past year, their caseload has more than doubled
as they saw a huge increase in students looking
for mental health resources. She explains how
dealing with feelings of depression or anxiety
was a challenge especially for students who had
not felt these feelings prior to the pandemic
and were at a loss as to where to go to find help.
“They now have a tool to help them explore
resources anonymously and start those difficult
conversations that they’ve never had before,”
she says. “Using the platform can help lead
them into our office to link them to a counselor
if necessary.”
She values the round the clock availability
and the anonymity of the program to helping students feel comfortable expressing their
feelings and take that important first step in
addressing their stress and emotions.
“Since it is available 24-7, it can help students even during breaks when they are not on
campus,” she says. “Students can also use the
platform to access a resource page with local
resources for Baltimore County.”
At the University of Maryland Global
Campus (UMGC), a support program is in
place to help military veterans transition from
the military to college. VetSuccess on Campus
assists students utilizing Veteran Affairs (VA)
benefits with personalized counseling and support to guide their career path as well as
help them access health, education and other
VA benefits. The program serves all students
(whether a servicemember, veteran, spouse or
child) who qualify under existing VA chapter
benefits.
According to Nicole DeRamus, Ph.D., assistant vice president, veterans programs of the
department of stateside military operations
at UMGC, the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) established the VetSuccess on
Campus (VSOC) program to provide on-campus counseling at colleges and universities
across the United States. UMGC has two VSOC
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRC)
to assist students in resolving VA benefit issues
that may impact their ability to complete their
educational program.
“On campus, UMGC students can receive
career, academic and adjustment counseling
to resolve problems that may interfere with
their academic success and career goals,” she
says. “VSOC VRCs have established a Virtual
Student Lounge to increase accessibility and
flexibility during the pandemic.”
She adds that beginning January 2022, the
VSOC VRCs will host numerous virtual and
on-campus informational seminars, student
engagement activities and employment-focused
workshops.
Many colleges and universities utilize peer
educators to support the health and well-being
of their students. Goucher College utilizes a
group of students who serve as health and wellness peer educators to educate and empower
their peers to live healthier lives as well as
provide critical resources about physical and
mental health and well-being.
The Instagram feed for the initiative is filled
with colorful posts about events such as one
focusing on sexual health, as well as a Fresh
Check Day, which is a fair that emphasizes taking care of your mental health. The program
also provides information about confidential
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) screening, information about fitness classes and more.
Around finals week, the peer educators provide
programming around sleep and strategies for
self-care during this stressful time.
Currently, 10 peer educators interact with
students and put on health events. A typical
semester pre-COVID would have the peer educators host five or six events during the year.
The peer educators are also trained to connect
students with resources and practitioners. The
campus is starting to return to in-person events,
with over 200 students out of a 1,000-student population attending their recent event on
sexual health.
According to Jean Perez, director of student
health and wellness, students feel comfortable
engaging with another knowledgeable student
with questions or concerns.
“We have found our students are more likely
to attend events when other students are putting
them on,” she says. “If they know the students
are hosting, they will engage as they find it
easier to talk with or ask a question of their
peers. After taking with a peer, they are then
more willing to speak with a staff member or
health practitioner.”
Peer Educator Becky Aydelotte of Salisbury
and class of 2022, appreciates the opportunity to
serve her fellow students. As she’s always had an
interest in helping her peers take control of their
well-being, she looks forward to taking part in
a future peer coaching session within the program. She highly recommends the experience
to anyone who has an interest in helping others.
“You don’t need to have all the answers
because none of us do,” she says. “You just need
to have an openness to learning and a level of
care and compassion. We’re all here to help
each other.”
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