If you are a student feeling stressed, anxious or depressed – you are not alone. Across the country, there is a crisis in the emotional well-being of today’s college and university students. Stevens is not immune from these trends, and the staff, faculty and administration are working hard to combat this crisis. If there is one thing you remember after reading this letter let it be this: you attend a university that is invested in your emotional well-being, and is constantly seeking ways to adapt to the new realities of university mental health.
The national crisis is complex, but let’s review the basics. College and university students are seeking emotional support from their school counseling centers at an unprecedented rate, and this is happening for a number of reasons. University students are less inhibited than in the past about asking for help with their mental health (a good thing) and student populations are more diverse than ever before (also a good thing). A more diverse population needs greater support because it’s stressful being different. However, the increase in demand for counseling stems from more than reduced stigma and increased diversity. Today’s students are suffering. Current university students report higher rates of anxiety and depression than those from prior generations. Even more, the United States’ suicide rate among 15-24 year-olds rose by approximately 30% between the years 2000-2016.
And yet, make no mistake: being enrolled in a university is one of the most significant protective factors in your lives. Compared to your same-aged peers who aren’t attending university, you are all overwhelmingly more likely to be healthy, happy and safe. The combination of support, structure, and promising future is formidable. You are surrounded by a community of people who care about your success and believe in you.
Stevens has done a lot to adapt to these changing mental health needs. Ten years ago, there was no CARE Team and Student Counseling had just two full-time staff members who made one-to-one contact with less than 3% of the student body. Today, CAPS is comprised of ten clinical staff and trainees. Last year we had one-to-one contact with 6% of the overall student body, and 10% of the undergraduate population. This past year, the CARE Team received 160 reports from members of the community concerned about individual students.
We are proactively increasing our presence within the university as well as reaching out to the larger community. We’ve partnered with excellent off-campus treatment providers to help students get care faster. The CARE Team, SpeakUp trainings, the #StigmaFreeStevens campaign all send the message that it’s ok to seek help, and that we need to look out for one another. We’ve strengthened our preventive efforts, and recently hired a new campus wellness educator. We’re focused on helping students learn resilience skills and tools for coping with distress and setbacks. We are doing more to promote connectedness; orientation leaders now meet with first-year students throughout their first year, and residence hall staffing is increased. We will continue to partner with groups like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to provide high impact programming such as the Out of the Darkness Walk.
In 2013, Stevens began a partnership with the Jed Foundation, a leader in university suicide prevention. Their expertise has enabled us to review our current practices and identify areas for improvement. We are embarking on an environmental safety scan, to reduce student access to potentially lethal means of self-harm. Another major project is a student survey so that we can hear from you, the students, about your experiences and wishes related to emotional wellness at Stevens. We also plan to start providing formal trainings for faculty and staff on signs and symptoms of student distress.
Stevens strives to become a leader and role model for addressing the national university mental health crisis. We urge you to become our partners in making change. If you are suffering, ask someone for help. If you see someone else suffering, don’t be a passive bystander. Let’s tackle this together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Eric Rose, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services
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