A highly ranked public research industry, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is the largest college of engineering, computing, architecture, and design. Widely known for being an academically rigorous institution, NJIT takes a holistic approach to student success.

In addition to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and research, the institution prioritizes mental well-being, understanding that students need to be mentally and emotionally prepared for life post-graduation when their professional journeys begin. This is, in part, why they chose to partner with Mantra Health. 

Increasing capacity and meeting students where they are

NJIT has a robust Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (C-CAPS), which is staffed with multiple doctoral and master’s level licensed professionals, as well as specialized clinicians who work with very specific student populations, including graduate and international students. 

The center takes a whole person health approach to care and focuses on clinical services, consultation and collaboration, outreach, and training and education. The goal, Phyllis Bolling, PhD, Licensed Psychologist and Director of C-CAPS, explains, is to keep healthy students healthy through preventative services, and provide effective and efficient clinical care to students with mental health disorders. 

Understanding that its student body of almost 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students has a wide array of needs and would benefit from flexible, accessible, convenient virtual care, NJIT wanted to better accommodate students, meeting them where they are, and give them more ways of seeking help. They also wanted to expand their clinical support with the same, equitable care.  

After spending many, many hours assessing the various vendors – and taking numerous factors into consideration – NJIT concluded that Mantra was the best digital mental health partner for their needs. Looking beyond service offerings, NJIT wanted to work with a trusting partner, not just a vendor, who was responsive and reliable, could integrate seamlessly into the campus, and provide individualized care. 

Mantra helps serve the whole student body

In fall 2023, NJIT expanded its partnership with Mantra Health to adopt the Whole Campus Care model. In addition to offering virtual therapy, the student body of almost 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students now have access to self care content, coaching, peer-to-peer support, on-demand support, and 24/7 crisis care.

“The number of students using the Mantra services, especially therapy, is almost equivalent to a full-time clinician’s workload, so it clearly demonstrates the volume of students who are using this program,” said Sean Dowd, Senior Associate Dean of Students. 

Not even a year in, and already NJIT is seeing the benefits of the Mantra partnership, which has helped facilitate the following:

Seamless integration of services 

From the beginning, Mantra came prepared with a tailored framework, which guided the NJIT leaders on how best to roll-out the new program. They identified who on campus needed to be a part of the onboarding process (i.e. tech, marketing), what materials would be needed to successfully promote the services, and how best to engage students throughout the calendar year. 

“It’s a great team; very, very helpful. It’s so nice to be able to say that we have all of these services available to support students on their journeys and I look forward to including these in the orientation process and during summer retreats.” 

Sean Dowd, Senior Associate Dean of Students

A trusting, collaborative relationship 

One of the best aspects of working with Mantra, NJIT has found, is the responsive, collaborative nature of the partner success and campus marketing teams. To promote the partnership and mental health services, Mantra was able to provide informational sessions on campus and virtually to students, providers, and campus leaders. 

From the beginning, Mantra has been “very, very open to getting feedback and addressing concerns,” said Dr. Bolling. “They introduced us to their clinical leaders and the therapists who would be working directly with our students and they helped show us how their Self Care models could be integrated into the work we’re doing.”

Innovative marketing campaigns

Mantra has worked closely with NJIT campus leaders to create original and highly targeted and effective campaigns that promote existing services and drive student utilization rates. They’ve adapted these materials to support specific target audiences, such as athletics, and they’ve built seasonal campaigns that have yielded a high number of sign-ups. 

Equipping the NJIT team with a marketing toolkit, which includes social media designs and captions, email campaigns, tailored flyers, and other materials has helped inform students of the available services from a number of different touch points. Already, Dowd admits, we’re discussing campaigns for the end of the year and summertime, so students are aware of the support they have. 

Additional pathways to care 

In addition to having access to clinical care, students have been able to connect with peers, learn DBT skills, and find support through a number of different mental health and wellness services. This has helped NJIT reach underserved student populations who may not have otherwise visited C-CAPS. This includes members of the LGBTQ+ population of which 20% of the students in the Mantra program identity as. 

“Even students who were already actively using C-CAPS have been able to engage with Mantra’s platform which has complimentary services,” said Dowd. “This is another option for students and it comes with no additional fees and can be accessed with NJIT credentials. It’s a very streamlined process.” 

Positive impact on student outcomes

Ranking Mantra 4.93 out of 5 stars, it’s clear that students in the program are satisfied with the services they’ve received. Many have told Sean directly that they had a good experience with the platform and the Self Care modules, which empowered them to reach out and connect with C-CAPS. The Mantra partnership has also helped decrease rates of anxiety and depression, improving overall health outcomes. 

“Even if students are waiting to meet with someone from C-CAPS, they can turn to Mantra to use the Self Care modules, to use the on-demand services, or the coaching services. They also have the care no matter where they are,” said Dr. Bolling, as Mantra is available on nights and weekends and over breaks.

Achieve the most optimal outcomes 

For any higher education leaders hoping to facilitate successful outcomes as a result of a telehealth partnership, NJIT leaders recommend the following:

• Build and maintain a culture of care, which starts with the board of trustees, donors, alumni, and other stakeholders in the community
• Identify the key stakeholders on campus who can help promote the services
• Determine the ideal time for implementation (ideally, prior to freshmen orientation) and use critical touch points to promote services (i.e. during RA training)
• Work with a telehealth partner to gather data that demonstrates the effectiveness of the program and helps with securing additional funding for the partnership

It’s one thing to invest in a telehealth partnership; it’s another to invest in a sustainable, long-term partnership which can be adapted and improved year over year to best serve your student body.

Mantra is proud to support NJIT’s ongoing efforts to support student mental health and well-being.

Watch the webinar recap featuring NJIT leaders here. To learn more about Mantra’s approach to mental health and wellness solutions, get in touch.