PRIORITIZING MENTAL HEALTH

WELLNESS CENTER EARNS RECOGNITION WHILE LAUNCHING NEW INITIATIVE

Sarah Sell

Multiple studies have shown that mental health issues are on the rise for college students across the country. The Wellness Center on the USF St. Petersburg campus is responding to this growing problem by finding new and innovative ways to help students with both their mental and physical wellbeing.

This focus was rewarded this year when the center won a national award for providing quality healthcare. It also launched a new mental health initiative called I Asked 4 Help, which focuses on students who don’t know how to find the right resources or when to reach out for help.

The project is one of many innovative health initiatives created by the Wellness Center over the past year as it dealt with COVID-19 and its effects on students’ health and well-being.

In March, the USF St. Petersburg campus received the 2022 Active Minds Healthy Campus Award, which celebrates U.S. colleges and universities that provide access to quality healthcare, serving students’ physical health while giving equal priority and investment to mental health.

The recipients represent a range of campuses that operate within different contexts and challenges. Together, they demonstrate how institutions of all sizes and types can create healthy communities that allow every student the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

The USF St. Petersburg campus joins four other colleges and universities in receiving the national award: Auburn University, Barstow Community College, Stevens Institute of Technology and Virginia Tech.

Colleges and universities are crucial in improving the wellbeing of young adults. USF St. Petersburg campus and the other winning schools found ways to pivot to address student needs during the pandemic, proactively addressing systems of oppression, integrating health and wellbeing in strategic planning and using data to ensure that students are getting the care they need.

“The health and safety of our students - both physical and mental - is our top priority,” said Patricia Helton, regional vice chancellor of student success at USF’s St. Petersburg campus. “Our team is truly passionate about their work, and I’m delighted to see their efforts recognized with this meaningful award.”

Students enrolled at colleges and universities that prioritize wellbeing often find that the programs and services provided to them are part of the fabric of the campus community.

The review panel for the Healthy Campus Award cited the following innovative practices at USF St. Petersburg campus:

• Championing student voices: USF St. Petersburg campus listens, elevates and prioritizes the student voice. University leadership regularly holds seats for students on planning committees and students are invited to participate in climate and programming surveys, while faculty engage students in real-world academic activities that often include focus groups and research to fully understand the needs of the student body.

• Proactively addressing systemic injustices: Pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion and dismantling systems of oppression are institutional imperatives at the USF St. Petersburg campus. The campus has worked to update policies, procedures and plans that work towards high levels of inclusivity and opportunity by supporting recruitment and retention of diverse staff, enhancing the accessibility of physical space and creating new working relationships among offices with shared interests in the area of inclusivity.

• Providing quality, responsive, accessible clinical services: When students present with a need – whether physical, psychological, or social – the USF St. Petersburg campus’ Wellness Center offers “wrap-around” care that also empowers them to take charge of their health. This care includes both in-person and telehealth services that work closely with specialty services (including behavioral health consultation, nutrition, and psychiatry providers) to ensure communication and work happen swiftly and with clarity.

“USF’s St. Petersburg campus stands out for its passion about elevating student voices and contributing to a diverse and inclusive campus culture,” said Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds. “USF St. Petersburg is a model for prioritizing mental health for its students and in facilitating proactive resources on campus.”

There was no talk about how to increase these help-seeking behaviors. That is an important adult skill. You have to learn how to reach out for help; you have to develop a sense of humility and learn to say, ‘I don’t know everything, I can’t figure this out on my own.’

I ASKED 4 HELP INITIATIVE

In September, the Wellness Center launched the I Asked 4 Help initiative which provides a unique approach to mental health services.

The potentially life-saving project includes an I Asked 4 Help website dedicated to university students of all ages dealing with life stressors on and off campus. The website includes information like how to find crisis and emergency services, a section to submit referrals, testimonials from students who sought help and provides comprehensive resources that will help someone become the person they want to be at USF and beyond.

According to a survey report by the National Alliance on Mental Health, nearly 65 percent of students who experienced mental health issues in college stopped attending. On the USF St. Petersburg campus, an assessment conducted by the Wellness Center in February 2022 showed students being highly stressed, with 84 percent saying they would consider mental health services.

The I Asked 4 Help initiative seeks to assist such students in need and launched in conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.

The idea for the initiative came from Victoria Beltran, assistant director of prevention services at the Wellness Center on the St. Petersburg campus. Beltran, also a doctoral candidate in public health at USF, noticed a need for students to learn help-seeking behaviors.

“We see those warning signs, and we have staff reaching out and making sure they don’t leave. But I noticed that there is no other emphasis beyond what we were offering as university staff and faculty to help these students,” Beltran said. “There was no talk about how to increase these help-seeking behaviors. That is an important adult skill. You have to learn how to reach out for help; you have to develop a sense of humility and learn to say, ‘I don’t know everything, I can’t figure this out on my own,’” she explained.

The initiative will address stressors such as challenging classes, lack of motivation or financial burdens for single and married students. The website includes sections on how to develop those help-seeking skills and testimonials from students who have recognized the need for help and why they reached out to someone. Students are already sharing their mental health stories on the website, hoping others will be inspired to pursue their journey.

“I was having a lot of struggles surrounding my mother getting cancer, living with an ex-boyfriend and dealing with assault trauma all at once,” one student wrote. “I felt very alone and lost, at rock bottom. USF’s Center for Victim Advocacy, my counselor and Student Outreach helped me get my life back on track.”

Another student wrote about the campus staff that helped her; “I failed one of my first classes due to past, deep-rooted bad habits and coping mechanisms which were amplified during COVID. After being referred to the Wellness Center, I was able to make steps toward the person I wanted to be. Though I’m still on that journey, I would not be where I am without them.”

The I Asked 4 Help initiative is funded through USF’s Office of Student Outreach & Support (SOS) for health and suicide prevention. The SOS received a $10,000 grant from the Love IV Lawrence foundation, founded after the unexpected death of Lawrence Hundley Dimmitt IV. The Love IV Lawrence organization is working to change the conversation around mental health and suicide.