Introduction

This toolkit aims to equip faculty members with the knowledge and skills to better support students’ mental health in the classroom setting.

Each strategy in this toolkit is the result of a comprehensive literature review of its effectiveness in supporting college students’ mental health. While mental health has become a focal point of discussion on many college campuses, the promotion of college student mental health is still an emerging topic in the literature. Thus, some strategies have not yet been tested widely for efficacy in randomized control trials. Each strategy page contains an “Evidence of Effectiveness” section where I outline the current research landscape at the time of publication of this toolkit.

In the development of this toolkit, I held eight key informant interviews with USC faculty members. I attempted to gain diverse perspectives by speaking with faculty who hold different positions at the university (i.e. adjunct, associate, full time professor, tenure and non-tenure track) and those representing a variety of fields. I interviewed professors from the following academic schools: Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, Price School of Public Policy, School of Pharmacy, Rossier School of Education, Marshall School of Business, School of Dramatic Arts, Viterbi School of Engineering, and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. While this pool cannot represent each unique position at the university, I gained insights that were invaluable in developing the content and framing of this toolkit. In future iterations of the toolkit, I will seek feedback from additional faculty members.

Mental health and mental illness are often interchanged; however, these terms are different. Positive mental health, sometimes called thriving or flourishing, refers to a positive mental state in which people are engaged in their day-to-day activities, maintain strong social ties, and feel tied to a purpose. Those with poor mental health, sometimes referred to languishing, could be struggling to feel motivated, may not have many supportive relationships, or could feel disconnected from their community. Mental illness, on the other hand, refers to an individual who has been diagnosed with a specific condition such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Major Depressive Disorder. While it may seem like splitting hairs, the distinction between these terms is important. A student may be living with depression, yet can still sustain good relationships or feel strongly tied to their purpose. On the other hand, a student may not be diagnosed with mental illness, but can experience poor mental health. At USC, there is significant room to grow in fostering students’ positive mental health. In fall 2020, only 37.4% of all students reported positive mental health, a decrease of 13.6% over the past year. ¹

Faculty members are not expected to treat or mitigate symptoms of mental illness. Rather, professors should aim to support and enhance all students’ mental health, regardless of whether they are living with a mental illness. A majority of the strategies in this toolkit follow this universal approach of promoting mental health. One strategy, normalize help-seeking, addresses how faculty can support students dealing with high levels of stress or symptoms related to mental illness.

Some faculty may justifiably question whether they are the best stakeholders on campus to address student mental health. It may seem appropriate to allocate all mental health efforts to counseling professionals who provide services such as oneon-one therapy. To be sure, access to mental health care is an essential resource for students living with mental illness or those experiencing high levels of stress. However, an overreliance on mental healthcare means that too much focus goes towards crisis or maintenance, rather than creating upstream mechanisms to

support and promote all students’ mental health. In addition, even students who may need professional care often do not seek these services. At USC, only 26% of students reported receiving mental health care or therapy in the past year.² If all mental health efforts at the university are invested in counseling services, the majority of students will not benefit.

Instead of solely relying on healthcare providers to mitigate crisis, it is imperative that all university stakeholders assume some responsibility for promoting students’ mental health. Faculty are particularly well-positioned to support students because they can implement classroom-based practices. This approach is referred to as curricular infusion. Curricular infusion is emerging as a promising practice to foster student wellbeing because it is theorized to be more equitable than extra-curricular support or intervention.³,⁴ It is important to recognize that not all students have the time and capacity to participate in extracurricular activities. At USC, 35.6% of all students do not participate in any extracurriculars.² Some are working part- or full time to pay for school and others may be caring for family members, leaving little time for participation in extracurriculars. However, all students matriculating through the university are exposed to the same classroom settings as their peers. This framing demonstrates that faculty have the potential to reach far more students in the classroom than any extracurricular offering. Professors can capitalize on this ideal positioning by making small adjustments to their teaching practices to support students’ mental health.

The strategies in toolkit are designed to be simple, actionable steps for professors to enhance students’ mental health in their classrooms. Each page includes a description of the strategy, a summary of its effectiveness in the literature, multiple options for implementation, and references.

²USC Well-being Collective. The healthy Minds Study 2017-2018 Data Report. Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California; 2018. Retrieved from https://sites.usc.edu/studentwellbeing/ reports/

³McWilliams, M. & Riley, J. (2012). “Curriculum infusion: Educating the whole student and creating campus change—Georgetown University.” In Harward, D. (Ed), Transforming Undergraduate Education: Theory that Compels and Practices that Succeed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

⁴Yearwood, E. & Riley, J. (2010). “Curriculum infusion to promote nursing student well-being.” Journal of Advanced Nursing 66.6, 1356-1364.

These strategies are a starting point for professors who want to become more intentional about supporting students’ mental health. Implementation of each strategy should be localized to best meet the needs of the students and the academic setting. Faculty interested in doing further investigation can consult the reference sections for each strategy.

This toolkit is not meant to be a static document. Future iterations will include faculty feedback, case studies of implementation in different classroom settings, and new references as they are published in the literature. Professors are encouraged to be a part of this iterative process - explore the strategies, provide input, and share experiences using these techniques.

Thank you to all those who dedicated their time and support to this project: the eight wonderful faculty members who participated in interviews, my incredible team at the USC Student Health Office for Health Promotion Strategy, my patient research advisor Dr. Shipley, and finally, Mr. and Mrs. Finnie, the generous donors who provided funding for this project through the Kaleigh Finnie Memorial Endowment fund.

Andrea Moore, USC Office for Health Promotion Strategy. Promoting Student Mental Health in the Classroom: A Toolkit for Faculty. Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California; 2021.