With course loads that can reach 19 or 20 credits in a single semester, ever-rising tuition costs (and by extension student loan debt), and a plethora of other challenges one might face during their time at college, it’s no surprise that mental health is such an important topic on our campus and at many other colleges across America.
This is something that Stevens’ administration seems to recognize, having started several initiatives within the past two school years to improve mental health offerings on campus. This school year saw the creation of the President’s Mental Health Task Force, which was created to focus on “Communication, Collaboration, and Culture” as they relate to mental health.
But how well does our own Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) compare to the programs and support at our peer universities? (Stevens defines our peer universities as Rensselaer Polytechnic University, Lehigh University, Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University, and Worcester Polytechnic University.) Are we woefully behind them in terms of our offerings? Do we greatly outperform them?
As far as our peer institutions are concerned, many of the services offered are nearly identical (according to publicly available information on their websites). Every peer institution offers some form of individual counseling, and Rensselaer additionally advertises couples therapy. Consultations for students, faculty, and staff are available at all of our peer schools, with Lehigh even offering it to parents. Most schools run workshops and training, working to break down barriers and destigmatize the idea of seeking help. Group therapy is also a form of support advertised by most, but not all, schools.
The real stand-out of the compared universities was Carnegie Mellon, who has a 24/7 on-call line provided by their own counseling department. The other schools (Stevens included) typically offer a roughly 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule for regular appointments and emergency sessions. For ‘after-hours’ help, peer schools typically suggest that students call 911 or a hotline for assistance; Stevens’ CAPS recommends calling campus police in case of severe distress.
On the other end of the spectrum was Northeastern University, whose website was sparse due to the few services they offer. They have a 24/7 hotline and take walk-ins during normal business hours, which include Saturday hours (the only school to do so). Those are the only two options for support, and for everything else they provide information for resources in the Boston area and recommend calling their police department for emergencies.
Stevens has a very strong showing of unique support programs compared to the other universities. Stevens was in the minority by offering psychiatric services and providing off-campus referrals for students who need longer-term support. Stevens’ CARE team’s website also makes it very easy to submit a “CARE Report”, where students can give a tip to the CARE team about another student that the reporter may be concerned about, and the CARE team will reach out to that student. Students are unable to anonymously report, although there’s nothing stopping you from putting a false name on the report, and reporters can request anonymity from the reported student. Other schools offer counseling for dealing with a student about whom another student is concerned, but do not offer any programs similar to Stevens’ CARE team, likely lowering their program’s reach and effectiveness.
Stevens has received awards for these programs, including a JED seal in 2013 for the development of a “comprehensive approach to preventing suicide.” Stevens has also applied to be awarded the Active Minds Healthy Campus Award for 2019, the winners of which are to be announced in late February.
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