Mental Health Support Challenge for Small Colleges Andrea Conner Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Grinnell College

Agenda Introduction Student needs for mental health services at Grinnell Framework of wellness and prevention Future research questions

Student Needs for Mental Health Services Increased demand Stress, rigor, and availability for “brief therapy” only; more students have access to higher ed than decades ago Increased complexity Diagnoses and prescriptions in hand as access to mental health providers increases earlier in life; access Decrease in providers, on- and off-campus Especially in rural areas of our state and region

Student Needs, continued Decrease in stigma + increase in awareness Demand for services in an activist framework Increased expectations for all-inclusive service from a residential liberal arts college “We are not an inpatient treatment facility!”

Framework of Wellness and Prevention When fully staffed, we can do more outreach and education on wellness, substance abuse, and violence prevention Other student affairs/academic advising staff need good training to be conversant in supporting students with normal developmental concerns (e.g. identity exploration, loneliness, transition) Partnerships with disability resources, wellness, TIX and violence prevention, academic advising, and residence life are critical

Future Research Questions Usually, we rely on the best practices of our field to discern who should intervene, and how. Can we make evidence-based decisions on which interventions to apply? Universally, colleges seek an outcome of graduating students at the greatest rate possible. Can we make evidence-based decisions on when the occasional attrition is actually better for the student?