Mantra Health is the first digital mental health clinic that works cohesively with university counseling centers like never before.

The leading digital mental health provider for university students

Your school is one of a kind, and so are your students. 

We're the fastest-growing and the only clinically-guided digital mental health solution working exclusively with colleges and universities. Our thoughtful program adapts to your school’s specific situation, and our integrated software care model was built by the leading minds in higher education mental health.

Integrated digital mental health, personalized for your campus.

A trusted provider network focused entirely on young adults mental health treatment

Collaboration Portal access for on-campus care teams

We're not interested in replacing your counseling center's operations. We work as a digital extension of your on-campus counseling staff and provider group. We equip your office with a dedicated Mantra psychiatry or therapy provider who works exclusively for your school, guaranteeing a deeper level of collaboration throughout the course of care for your students.

We help schools be present for any and all of their students.

An experience tailored to university students.

It’s just so awesome for someone to genuinely care. My therapist really understands my situation and is deeply concerned about me doing things that are in my best interest.

My provider always checked in to make sure I was keeping up with exercising and other healthy habits that we both knew helped me feel better overall.

I liked being able to message my provider when I was anxious. Even if she didn’t respond right away, it still gave me the space to update her on how I was feeling.

There’s no question that athletic departments around the country are starting to address mental health on a larger scale, but what does this look like in practice? How can we train coaches, athletic directors, and other athletics leaders to better understand mental health, while ensuring that athletes are receiving individualized care?

In order to improve the mental health of student-athletes, we must look beyond the athletes themselves to consider the greater role of coaches, athletic directors, staff, and other members of the community. This is something we discussed in our latest webinar Strengthening the Player-Coach Relationship to Improve Mental Health. 

“Coaches don’t have to be clinical psychologists, but they have to be aware,” says Joe Valerio, Former NFL Athlete; Senior Director and Regional Client Service Operations Officer at Willis Towers Watson, who says he, himself, had a coach who knew that every player was motivated differently. “He spent as much time coaching us on the field and off the field.” 

Mental health literacy is a key component, says Stephen Hebard, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer at Prevention Strategies. “What is anxiety, depression, substance abuse? What are the implications of trauma?” He asks. “You don’t need to know the criteria in the DSM (a standard classification of mental disorders), but having a sense of how depression shows up in athletes is really powerful information.” 

Deborah Wardlaw, Director of Athletics at Columbia College, says that coaches should be “mindful, patient, and proactive” to figure out what’s going on with a student. As an athletic director and administrator of the college, she believes it’s just as important to support coaches with education and professional development so they can understand and practice mental health best practices, she explains. If you can have a mental health counselor in the building, that can be extremely powerful, but even if you can’t, she suggests building a unique partnership between athletics and the counseling center. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to mental health at the university level, because every campus is unique and has its own set of systems and processes, but there are best practices which can be implemented into every athletic program.

Dr. Hebard suggests the four mental health best practices established by the NCAA Sports Science Institute:

Providing access to licensed mental health professionals 

Establishing emergency and non-emergency action plans 

Implementing confidential mental health screenings 

Creating a culture that supports mental well-being and resilience 

We also expanded on these best practices in our new white paper Taking a Team Approach to Mental Health: Best Practices for Collegiate Athletic Departments, which includes contributions from industry experts including Dr. Hebard, Deborah Wardlaw, Director of Athletics at Columbia College, and Erin J. Reifsteck, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, among others.

While there are many different leaders, organizations, and associations leading the way on student-athlete mental health, it’s important to seek out evidence-based education, training, and resources, which aims to provide the most effective care available.

Here are some evidence-based resources to check out:

Coaches Assist – you’ll find three different handbooks (including Managing Student-Athlete Mental Health and Coaches Handbook - Managing the Female Athlete Triad), along with training for coaches

Hilinski’s Hope Foundation – this includes the Hilinski’s Hope Game Plan, created in partnership with NCAA Sports Science Institute and Prevention Strategies

NCAA Sports Science Institute – we recommend checking out Mind, Body, and Sport and Mental Health Best Practices. 

In his article The State of College Athletics, Alex Auerbach, PhD, MBA, Director of Wellness and Development for the Toronto Raptors, argues that resources aren’t enough. In order to create a supportive culture of mental wellness, we must work together to change the system. He provides specific recommendations, including making coaching healthier and redistributing the power within athletics. 

For more information, download the white paper here or watch the latest webinar recording here. 

Webinar Recap: Strengthening the Player-Coach Relationship to Improve Mental Health

College counseling centers face a number of challenges in meeting the growing demands and needs of today’s student population. Between balancing rising needs for mental health services, high rates of staff turnover and burnout, and addressing scheduling and access challenges, many counseling centers have begun to leverage telehealth counseling services to lessen the burdens and meet growing demand. 

A growing body of research has demonstrated that telehealth counseling services have a positive impact on mental health, are perceived positively by patients, and improve access to mental health care. In fact, one study of campus-based telehealth counseling services showed that students found telehealth services to be convenient, effective, and similar or better in quality compared to in-person counseling.

How can counseling centers examine the value and impact of telehealth services on their own campuses? One of the best ways to measure impact is to look at data that you’re already collecting, such as session attendance rates and wait times to see a provider.

Here are numerous ways to measure the success of telehealth counseling services.

You can examine several different metrics that capture the student experience and determine the effectiveness of telehealth services on student well-being. These include:

Increased attendance and retention rates – How many students attend their first appointment and then return for a second appointment? How many students cancel or no-show for their appointments? This information often reflects a students’ experience with those services. One factor to keep in mind is availability of providers. If you don’t have enough sessions available or if the student has to wait more than a week to access them, then that can impact the return rate.

Decreased mental health ratings on clinical scores – Telehealth providers should administer intake questionnaires and screenings, such as the PHQ-9 or the GAD-7, to capture student mental health, and monitor changes in condition, improvement in symptoms, and success of treatment.

Improved student satisfaction – Surveying students is a beneficial way to measure their satisfaction with treatment. These surveys can capture if a student is satisfied with their designated provider, if they are satisfied with the service offerings, and if they feel their treatment is improving their academic performance or simply their day-to-day life.

College counseling centers can capture important metrics relating to service access, scheduling, and communication. All of these factors play a vital role in the quality of care. Here’s what you can evaluate: 

Shortened wait times – It’s not uncommon for students to wait multiple weeks to be seen by a provider, especially at a small, private school or on a remote campus where there are a limited number of providers. Adding a telehealth service, with additional clinical providers, can help shorten these wait times and improve a student’s access to care. 

Quality platform use – Is the platform easy for students, providers, and administrators to use? Is the platform free of technical issues? Is it updated frequently to account for changes in user needs? Does the platform follow HIPAA and FERPA regulations? With a high-quality platform, you can reduce the administrative burden on clinicians and put the patient’s experience first, which improves their engagement and usage in care.

Efficient communication – How quickly is information communicated between in-person and telehealth clinical providers? How quickly are students able to communicate with telehealth providers between sessions? With the right provider, you should receive additional support and ongoing reporting so you can track client progress.

Successful mental health services can result from a successful provider and patient relationship. When looking at telehealth services, consider the following factors:

Increased staff retention – Staff turnover is an ongoing problem across the country, but especially in college counseling centers. Turnover is costly, decreases access to care, and increases the workload for remaining staff. Retaining staff isn’t always possible, but you can work with a telehealth provider that has a dedicated and reliable provider group. 

Decreased provider stress and burnout – The COVID-19 pandemic increased clinician stress and burnout, putting more strain on counseling centers. Use surveys to evaluate staff satisfaction – which often correlates to patient satisfaction. Mantra Health, for example, uses Net Promoter Score (NPS) scores to ensure that providers are satisfied and supported with the right resources, tools, and compensation.  

Decreased provider caseload – Track how many clients a counselor is providing. If college counselors are seeing more than 30 clients per week, then you need to consider ways to reduce this. Telehealth services can help decrease the caseload managed by campus clinical staff, which inevitably reduces their stress and allows them to provide better in-session and frequent quality service to students.

When assessing telehealth services, evaluate the greater impact of mental health care on the student body. Here are some factors to consider: 

Reduced dropout rates – College students are most likely to drop out sometime before their sophomore year. In that first year, students may experience isolation, financial strain, and other stressors, directly impacting their mental wellness. Securing more mental health services can prevent students from dropping out, improving student retention rate.

Improved net revenue – Recruiting students is a costly business and institutions can’t afford to lose tuition rates year after year. Investing in mental health is an investment in student satisfaction and success on campus. Track student retention rates in relation to increased telehealth services and the number of students receiving care.

At Mantra Health, we’re dedicated to improving young adult mental health by increasing access to therapy, psychiatry, and 24/7 behavioral health services. We have employed our own staff of clinical providers, all of whom are trained in young adult mental health care and have specialized expertise, and we partner with colleges and universities to improve the health of a campus and the lives of the students. Learn more about our services here. 

How to Measure the Success of Telehealth Services

Podcasts provide entertaining, impactful and on-the-go listening for your commutes, workouts, and lunch breaks. While students are on summer break, college counseling clinicians should take this valuable time to enjoy some funny, serious, informative podcasts on college counseling, mental health, and the state of college affairs. 

Here are ten recommended podcasts for college counselors:

Apple rating: 4.6
Frequency: Weekly to bi-weekly

The Shrink Rap Radio host Dr. David Van Nuys is a clinical psychologist, an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Sonoma State University, and served as the department’s chair. He interviews psychology professors and private practice counselors on topics pertaining to today’s college students, including depression, stress, anxiety and the neuroscience of mental health. This podcast is the winner of the APA Presidential Award Recipient for Pioneering Psychology Podcast, and its episodes include interviews 

Tip: If you are not into introductions, skip the first 10 minutes or so to get to the meatier content. 

Apple Podcast rating: 4.7
Frequency: Weekly; sometimes more frequently 

Hosted by David D. Burns MD, author of "Feeling Good, The New Mood Therapy," and Fabrice NYe, PhD, this podcast is a lighthearted, feel-good podcast for therapists and others who are interested in learning about TEAM-CBT therapy and how it can be used in a day-to-day basis. Dr. Burns brings in industry experts to discuss therapy practices and combating mental health issues with evidence-based care.

Tip: Skip the first few minutes. These episodes are a bit long, but you can jump in at any time and gain some interesting insights. 

Cognitive neuroscientist Maya Shankar, PhD, is the host of this fun, intimate podcast which dives into human behavior and all the ways in which we change and evolve. She brings on an eclectic group of guests, ranging from authors and politicians to therapists and everyday people facing trauma and hardship. This podcast won “Best Show of the Year” by Apple Podcasts in 2021.

Tip: You can’t pick a wrong episode; you’ll be entertained and educated in this podcast. 

CWC Talks: The College Mental Health Podcast

Apple Podcast rating: 5.0
Frequency: No frequency; episodes drop sporadically 

CWC Talks originated out of the University of Florida Counseling & Wellness Center to provide honest conversations on mental health issues facing college students. The host talks with listeners, rather than at them. Episodes are less than an hour and topics range from racism and roommate relationships to panic attacks and art therapy. 

Tip: If you like creating handouts for students, you can pull several great tips from these episodes and create a tip sheet for college life. 

Apple Podcast rating: 4.8
Frequency: Weekly; sometimes more frequently

Designed by hypnotherapist Chel Hamilton, the Meditation Minis podcast provides short bouts of varied meditation techniques that can be done in 15 minutes or less. If you feel a bit burned out or if you’re counseling students who feel burned out, these mini episodes can help calm the body and mind. Listening in the morning can even help you set an intention for the day. 

Tip: Sponsored ads play at the beginning, after the host’s introduction. The meditation starts around minute two or three. 

Apple Podcast rating: 4.8
Frequency: Weekly

Need a laugh? The Mental Illness Happy Hour is a weekly podcast hosted by Paul Gilmartin, a standup comedian and former host of TBS’s popular Dinner and a Movie. He brings on a cast of artists, comedians, friends, and doctors who discuss their experiences with mental illness. Gilmartin brings his own intimate experience, as he himself has struggled with addiction and clinical depression.  

Tip: There are more than 500 episodes available and if you go to the podcast’s website, the top episodes are listed at top. 

Apple Podcast rating: 5.0
Frequency: Infrequent

Scott Bryant-Comstock, CEO and founder of Children’s Mental Health Network, hosts this podcast on advocacy and positive change. Bringing on different experts, Bryant-Comstock dives into issues of race, equity, inclusion, language, and mental health. This podcast dives into controversial, complicated, and emotional issues and offers new ways to think, advocate, and research.  

Tip: If you want to learn more about social issues facing young adults today, this is a great place to start.

Therapy Chat
Apple Podcast rating: 4.5
Frequency: Weekly

Baltimore-based psychotherapist Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, interviews therapists on alternative and holistic approaches to trauma, counseling, and psychotherapy. They also discuss their own mental health and how to practice self-care while working in a career caring for others. 

Tip: If you want to incorporate new methodologies and techniques into your practice, this is worth checking out. 

Apple Podcast rating: 4.9
Frequency: Weekly

The Therapy Show podcast, hosted by Dr. Bridget Nash, covers comprehensive, thorough treatment areas in therapy, all while focusing on evidence-based methodologies. Guests have high credentials and have included Dr. Judith Beck, Dr. Richard Schwarz, and Dr. Sue Johnson.

Tip: The show appears to be on hiatus right now, but 62 episodes are available on iTunes. 

Apple Podcast rating: 4.6
Frequency: Weekly

This podcast focuses on the many challenges facing colleges and universities amidst COVID-19, with a particular focus on technology. Episodes are approximately 30 minutes or less and host Doug Lederman, Editor at Inside Higher Ed, takes a journalistic approach to different topics, interviewing key leaders in higher education who discuss policy changes, high ed technology companies, and other issues. 

Tip: Before you start listening, browse the episode topics to find the ones that seem the most compelling to you.

Top 10 Podcasts for College Counselors: Easy, Educational Listening for Summer Break

The leading digital mental health provider for university students

Integrated digital mental health, personalized for your campus.

In the media.

For Universities: Our Program

We help schools be present for any and all of their students.

Our Comprehensive Program

Trusted by institutions like:

For Students

An experience tailored to university students.

Lifestyle Changes

24/7 Messaging,
Video Appointments

Progress Tracking

Hear from Students

Why Mantra

Blog

Webinar Recap: Strengthening the Player-Coach Relationship to Improve Mental Health

How to Measure the Success of Telehealth Services

Top 10 Podcasts for College Counselors: Easy, Educational Listening for Summer Break

The leading digital mental health provider for university students

Integrated digital mental health, personalized for your campus.

In the media.

For Universities: Our Program

We help schools be present for any and all of their students.

Our Comprehensive Program

Trusted by institutions like:

For Students

An experience tailored to university students.

Lifestyle Changes

24/7 Messaging, Video Appointments

Progress Tracking

Hear from Students

Why Mantra

Blog

Webinar Recap: Strengthening the Player-Coach Relationship to Improve Mental Health

How to Measure the Success of Telehealth Services

Top 10 Podcasts for College Counselors: Easy, Educational Listening for Summer Break

24/7 Messaging,
Video Appointments