Student engagement has drastically changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and colleges and universities are now in the difficult position of having to find new ways to reach students, make them aware of counseling services, and support their mental health needs.

A 2021 Student Voice survey showed that a startling 65% of students report having fair or poor mental health and 47% said they would have liked more support from their college during the pandemic. Yet, only 15% of students said they used campus counseling services. 

Up until the pandemic, events were the most prominent avenue for student engagement, but with COVID-19, Monkeypox, and other health concerns rising, many students no longer feel comfortable attending in-person events and many are fatigued by virtual ones. So what can counseling centers do to counteract this problem?

Most college counseling centers are under-resourced and understaffed, making it difficult to allocate time to student engagement and find new ways to conduct outreach. While events can still be utilized, college counseling centers should look to new ways to approach students and remind them of available resources and counseling services.

How to Engage Students with Mental Health on Campus

With new technology and new ways of engaging, there are ever-increasing ways for students to engage with counseling services, and vice versa. We’ve compiled ten recommendations that can help college counseling centers better connect with students.

Build events around mental health: Offer free meditation classes for students during stressful times in the academic calendar. Set up a booth on campus during Mental Health Awareness Week, which includes free giveaways, food-to-go, and pamphlets on self-care strategies. Bring guest speakers to campus to talk about specific mental health issues. Host free mental health workshops. Dartmouth College Health Service, for example, has previously hosted an “Anxiety Toolbox Workshop” and an “Attention Please! Workshop” for students with ADHD.

Collaborate with students and key partners: Work with student-run organizations and groups, including diversity, equity, and inclusion organizations and LGBTQ+-friendly groups, to build strategic partnerships. Students running these groups can help inform outreach efforts and promote events, resources, and services to their members. 

Go beyond email to keep students informed: Many colleges and universities use text messaging to communicate with students. You can use this outreach method to remind students of counseling services, to encourage mental health breaks, or simply to invite them to attend campus-sponsored events, such as a free dinner, a Pride parade, or another event that fosters connection. You can also utilize apps to support students. Northwestern University, for example, created “Thought Challenger” and “Daily Feats” to support behavioral health.

Post mental health resources and service offerings on Blackboard and other learning systems: Students are frequently engaging in these learning platforms. Posting or pinning an announcement across the platform is a great way to remind students of the counseling center and mental health resources available to them. 

Contribute to the student newspaper: While professional newspapers may be struggling to find readers, student-run publications are still highly read. Best of all, they are free and widely available on campus, both online and in print. If you want to connect with students directly, you can place an ad or contribute a piece addressing student mental health issues, providing coping strategies, or highlighting the importance of mental health care. 

Advertise in campus buildings and popular hangout spots: Put information in classrooms and buildings where students regularly pass through. In addition to advertising services in communal spaces, head to the local hot spots. Post information in public or private spaces not affiliated with the college where students are known to go, such as coffee shops or local libraries. If you’re not sure where to advertise your services, connect with student organizations and see what they recommend.

Add referral information to your website: Referrals should be easy to make and even easier to fulfill. Colleges and universities should have this information on the school’s website. Ideally it would go on the home page, but if not, it should at least be accessible on the counseling services page.

Develop strategic partnerships: If you’re not already working closely with faculty, staff, and other members of campus, now is the time to start. Establish mental health committees. Bring in student-run organizations, campus police, and others, to discuss mental health on a macro and micro level. These relationships are vital to maintaining campus mental wellness and preventing or managing mental health crises. You can also partner with other departments and outside organizations to address specific issues. Seattle Pacific University, for instance, 

Incorporate on-campus resources into class materials: Encourage professors to share campus mental health resources as part of their syllabus and remind students of the services that are available to them, especially during high-stress times like midterms and finals. See if professors will bring you in as a guest speaker. This can be especially valuable in graduate classes, as many graduate students are balancing work obligations or parenting responsibilities. 

Utilize social media: Not every student is on every platform, but many college students are online. Building social media platforms for your counseling center is a great way to connect with students. Check out Texas A&M Universi://www.instagram.com/tamu_caps/”>ty’s Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)’s Instagram and Twitter accounts. You can share campus resources, highlight events, recommend mental health tools, and encourage students to engage with your staff in a fun, innovative way. Host online giveaways or share student success stories, when possible. Students should also be encouraged to reach out directly if they’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed. 

Use focus groups or surveys to find out what students need: The best way to engage with college students is to ask what they want. If possible, send a survey to all students. You can also ask current patients what resources they’d like, what ways they prefer to engage.

Diversify your offerings: Keep students front of mind. If students are requesting telehealth services or weekend availability, you may want to consider working with a telehealth provider. You can also consider adding psychiatry services, crisis care, or wellness workshops. 

Students’ needs and preferences are constantly evolving, which is why it’s so important to be creative in your approach. College counseling centers are vital to the health of a campus, but students can’t access the care they need if they don’t know what services are available or how to access them. 

At Mantra Health, we work closely with college counseling centers to expand students’ access to mental health care. We provide teletherapy, telepsychiatry, and 24/7 crisis care services to colleges and universities, tailoring our care to the individual needs of the campus. Learn about our solutions here.