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Name: Navnit Brar
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Hardwick
Course Title: Engl1100
Date: December 4th,2017
Essay outline
There is Need for Mental Health Support in Universities and Colleges
I.
INTRODUCTION
1. Background
Educational performances at any tertiary institution depend on the student’s
wellbeing. Therefore, it is impossible to separate the two in any University. With
universities striving to maximize their gains by students going through their
studies with the highest possible grades, it’s vital that they should also look into
the welfare of their students (Flynn, Christopher, and Micky M. Sharma).
Although a significant number of Universities have the expertise to cater to
students’ mental health, they cannot serve increasing number of students in
demand for help promptly. Consequently, it is the high time that they make it a
priority (Kitzrow, Martha Anne).
2. Thesis
There is a need for tertiary institutions (both colleges and universities) to go an
extra mile in supporting students' mental health by improving financial support
accorded to the institution’s counseling services, equipping students to serve as
counselors and setting up after-hours counseling support services (Degges-White,
Suzanne, and Christine Borzumato-Gainey).
II.
BODY
1. Improve financial support
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a) For most universities and colleges, the funding allocated to the provision of
mental health has remained the same for a long time notwithstanding the recent
increase in the demand for mental health support among students. Therefore, the
university administration should see to it that it commits more funds in student
counseling (Flynn, Christopher, and Micky M. Sharma).
b) Moreover, these funds will be used in training the staff to ensure they are up to
date with the various counseling needs of students seeking counseling services as
well as recent techniques concerning mental health in college and university
students (Flynn, Christopher, and Micky M. Sharma).
2. Equipping students to serve as counselors
a) In some cases, students may feel uncomfortable sharing their private issues with a
professional counselor. As such, the university can develop programs where
students who previously suffered from any form of mental illness are trained on
how to become peer counselors. That way, students will be able to come up with
their own peer-led groups allowing a higher number of students to receive
validation, understanding, and encouragement from those around them (Flynn,
Christopher, and Micky M. Sharma).
b) Also, the university/college can facilitate one-on-one student buddy system which
can provide an even more personal connection with students struggling with
ongoing health issues. In this method, through the professional counselor's help,
students will be assigned to an individual whom they can reach out for support.
The mutual feeling of empathy between people struggling with the same issues
can be extremely beneficial to both parties (Degges-White, Suzanne, and
Christine Borzumato-Gainey).
3. Setting up after-hours counseling support services
a) Recent trends show that there is a need for students to get professional help
outside office hours; a lot of issues can creep up on the weekend or the middle of
the night (Degges-White, Suzanne, and Christine Borzumato-Gainey). Therefore,
universities should put in place after-hours counseling services that will aim to
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guide students through a life-threatening situation; feeling overwhelmed or
hopeless or actively thinking about suicide; experiencing thoughts of self-harm, in
danger of being harmed or harming others promptly (Flynn, Christopher, and
Micky M. Sharma).
b) Also, there may be some students struggling with anxiety and depression and are
often reluctant to pick up the phone, even if they are in desperate need of help.
Therefore, to help in such cases, the university should consider supporting texting
or messaging. That way, students will feel more comfortable reaching out and this
approach could potentially save students in dire situations that would be too
anxious to seek help in other ways (Flynn, Christopher, and Micky M. Sharma).
III.
CONCLUSION
1. Numerous steps can be taken by a university/college to assure greater support
for mental health among students. In this paper, the outlined measures include
improving the financial aid, equipping students to serve as counselors, and
setting up after-hours counseling support services will all make an enormous
difference in catering to the diverse counseling needs among students
nowadays.
2. It's time for universities to put student mental health first. That is because, in
many Universities, the provision of mental health counseling within student
affairs has faced an increase in the number of college students seeking
treatment at campus counseling centers for severe mental health problems.
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Works Cited
Degges-White, Suzanne, and Christine Borzumato-Gainey, eds. College Student Mental Health
Counseling: A Developmental Approach. Springer Publishing Company, 2013.
Flynn, Christopher, and Micky M. Sharma. "Mental Health Aspects Of Responding To
Campus Crises." New Directions For Student Services, vol 2016, no. 156, 2016, pp. 7786. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1002/ss.20193.
Kitzrow, Martha Anne. "The Mental Health Needs Of Today's College Students: Challenges
And Recommendations." Journal Of Student Affairs Research And Practice, vol 41, no.
1, 2003, pp. 167-181. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.2202/1949-6605.1310.
Patel, Vikram et al. "Mental Health Of Young People: A Global Public-Health Challenge." The
Lancet, vol 369, no. 9569, 2007, pp. 1302-1313. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/s01406736(07)60368-7.
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