主要研究 今天

Ranae Reardon ’24 doesn’t need to read any fancy reports to tell her that student mental health is a significant challenge on college campuses.

这些报告当然存在, and they’re fairly convincing – according to one 健康y Minds Study cited by the American Psychological Association, more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem during the 2020-2021 school year, 在另一项全国性调查中, 近四分之三的学生报告有中度或严重的心理困扰.

但里尔登有她需要的证据就在她面前.

“作为一名学生，我看到我的同龄人在挣扎，”里尔登说. “这是我们生活中压力极大的时期, 对心理健康有足够的支持是至关重要的.”

联合国卫生组织已经听到了这些响亮而清晰的信号，并正在采取行动. 为了应对近年来学生心理健康服务需求的急剧上升， 心理及谘询服务 (PACS)已经公布了一些 新举措 designed to help students gain access to the care they need more quickly and to have that support better personalized to meet their individual needs.

从这学期开始, 学生可以通过电话咨询与PACS治疗师建立非紧急护理, 大大缩短了与咨询师交谈的等待时间. PACS还扩大了其同伴大使计划，以偶然的方式提供同伴支持, giving students who want someone to talk to the option of connecting directly with a fellow student.

虽然这些倡议才实施了几周，但其影响已经是实实在在的. Elisa博尔顿, PACS主任, says students can often schedule a phone consultation within three to five business days – a significant improvement over wait times as long as three weeks in some instances prior to the changes.

博尔顿说:“我们一直在努力回应学生们的担忧. “Through these changes we’ve been able to be in contact with twice the number of students as before in the same period of time.”

“我们确实在努力回应学生的担忧. Through these changes we’ve been able to be in contact with twice the number of students as before in the same period of time."

增加了里尔登, who serves as the 健康 and 健康 council chair on the student senate: “I have already heard from multiple students that they are impressed with how quickly they were able to schedule an appointment.”

最初的电话咨询不是咨询会议, 而是让学生有机会与治疗师分享他们的担忧, who can determine each student’s needs and help provide a personalized care plan and prioritize next steps.

通过电话咨询进行早期干预的另一个好处, 博尔顿说, is that students who might ultimately need services outside of counseling can more quickly be redirected to the appropriate source – students who may be battling hunger or are unsure of how they are going to pay rent, 例如.

至于扩大的同伴大使计划, 学生可以在周一至周四下午3点之间到PACS办公室.m. 还有5p.m. 和一个提供同伴支持的学生谈谈. The peer ambassadors underwent a two-day training session prior to the program to understand the best ways to respond to student needs and to know when it might be necessary to refer students to other resources for help.

“Sometimes students really want to talk to someone who has recently gone through the same things they have, 比如分手或与父母或室友意见不合, 他们只是需要有人听到他们的声音，提醒他们自己有多重要,博尔顿说。.

另外, the expanded peer support program may provide a way to combat the apprehension students can sometimes feel about seeking mental health support. 

“对很多学生来说, 打电话给PACS，一个人去那里真的很吓人,24岁的Ande Allison说, former mental health chair of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and active mental health advocate on campus. “当涉及到心理健康问题时，寻求帮助仍然是一种耻辱. I think that having peer support will provide a less intimidating way for students to ask for help and can work to provide a bridge to taking the next step and talking to a mental health professional.”

In addition to the many other health promotion efforts and health coaching services that the staff at 健康 & 他们最近还推出了自我评估工具，比如 幸福轮 并与PACS合作 “你好吗——真的?” initiative, which encourages honest discussion and use of campus resources and proven strategies.

The wheel breaks wellness into eight categories and includes descriptions of what optimum wellness in each might look like, 而“你好吗??工具的设计是为了鼓励学生回答“你好吗??的问题，而不仅仅是机械式地回答“好”. It is designed to encourage students to more openly check in with themselves and each other and to help each other find the appropriate support if necessary.

“如果没有学生的倡导和声音，这种优先顺序就不会发生. 我很高兴我们的管理人员, 院长, professors and everyone else in leadership positions are listening to what the students are pushing and fighting for.”

所有这些变化都是为了改善学生的心理健康, 但它们也明显以学生为导向——这是艾莉森引以为豪的一点.

“如果没有学生的倡导和声音，这种优先顺序是不可能实现的，”艾莉森说. “我很高兴我们的管理人员, 院长, professors and everyone else in leadership positions are listening to what the students are pushing and fighting for.”

The biggest hurdle remains simply spreading the word about these offerings to the full student body. Both Reardon and Allison expressed appreciation as students for the fact that mental health is a priority focus at the university level, but both also noted that the majority of students could still be better informed about what is available to them.

“In my opinion students are becoming more aware that these support options exist but it is still relatively unknown,里尔登说. “PACS provides so much more than just individual counseling and I really hope students who need help know that they are here.”

虽然外联仍然是一个挑战，学生的心理健康是一个全国性的关键问题, Bolton believes the steps taken at 主要研究 reflect a university-wide commitment to addressing those problems and positioning the university as a leader in listening to students and creating an environment where everyone can flourish.

“老实说，我相信我们在这方面相当领先. It’s not just reactive; all the way up to upper administration there’s a general commitment here that everybody demonstrates their investment in students, 当学生的心理健康和情感健康得到关注时, 这就是学生茁壮成长的时候,博尔顿说。. “有时人们觉得他们必须独自一人，但他们没有. There are a ton of professionals on campus to help you at that point of crisis and get the support you need to create what you want for yourself at 主要研究.”

我们鼓励需要支持的学生与PACS联系. PACS每天24小时提供紧急服务, 电话:603-862-2090(转接NH: 1-800-735-2964). 如有非紧急事宜，亦可透过电邮(电邮地址 pacs@主要研究.edu 或者学生可以到加里森大街3号史密斯大厅三楼的办公室.