Mental health services is the focus of the 2022 All In for K-State
One-quarter of all U.S. college students have seriously considered suicide, and Kansas State University students are no exception.
Of K-State students surveyed during the spring 2020 semester, prior to the pandemic, 26% said they’d thought about killing themselves at some point. In that same survey, 16% of students said they’d made a plan or had attempted to kill themselves. Fifty-seven percent of students surveyed in spring 2020 said they’d felt hopeless sometime in the last 30 days.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues for pretty much everyone, including K-State students. Since 2019, K-State’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has seen a 27% increase in use of their services.
This increasing need for mental health access prompted this year’s All In for K-State focus on mental health services. With donors’ generous support, K-State can expand student access to services, increase educational and outreach programs, reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and ultimately, help students flourish.
“My role on campus is to help ensure students know they belong, they matter, they have a healthy sense of well-being and that they have a great K-State experience,” said Thomas Lane, vice president for student life and dean of students. “There’s a strong connection between a student’s sense of well-being and their academic success. If a student is struggling with mental or physical health, or financial or social well-being, that can negatively affect their academic success. The spirit of family inspires us to care about the whole student.”
Student well-being has always been a priority for K-State and the recent creation of the Morrison Family Center for Student Well-being is a physical confirmation the K-State’s commitment to student wellness, including mental health services. And the impact of these services can make a lasting impact on students.
“One of the hidden benefits of using therapeutic services in college is the long-term benefits it ends up having on an adult later in life,” said Dr. Kodee Walls, assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services at K-State. “Just as you have an exercise routine for physical health, developing skills and habits around mental wellness ends up making you a more functional adult, a better professional, partner and family member when raising the next generation. There’s research that suggests that when you get therapy at a younger age, you have a lower likelihood of developing more significant mental health issues later.”
Prevention of serious mental health issues is the goal of all well-being services at K-State. Chris Bowman, director of K-State’s Morrison Family Center for Student Well-being leads outreach programs where college students, faculty and staff learn to recognize warning signs of distress and how to guide people to the help they need.
“A recent study showed that 57% of students surveyed at K-State had felt a sense of hopelessness in the past 30 days. That is something I homed in on,” said Chris. “Hopelessness can be a sign or a symptom that can lead to suicidal thoughts. We have been developing programs and resources for students, faculty and staff across K-State to help pick up on those signs, so people don’t get to the point of feeling hopeless or helpless.”
With increased funding, mental health services and educational programs can reach more K-State students and reach them sooner, helping them to have fulfilling, successful academic careers and personal lives.
Mental health services and outreach at K-State
Counseling and Psychological Services
- Workshops to learn and enhance mental well-being skills, such as enhancing resilience, building healthy relationships and stress management.
- Group therapy sessions allow students to connect with peers facing similar mental health challenges.
- One-on-one therapy sessions enable students to delve deeper into their concerns with a licensed therapist. Students are limited to eight of these free and confidential sessions per semester. If this is insufficient, therapists help connect students to community providers.
Lafene Health Center
- WellCAT Ambassadors The purpose of WellCAT Ambassadors is to advocate for the overall health and well-being of K-State students and to promote the mission of Lafene Health Center.
- Thrive Navigators are students dedicated to bringing awareness to mental health resources on campus, as well as reducing the stigma that surrounds mental health.
- Lafene medical personnel work closely with CAPS therapists to ensure students receive holistic health services.
Morrison Family Center for Student Well-being
- Bandana Project is a mental health awareness and suicide prevention campaign that uses bandanas to signal support for peers needing help.
- Project Waypoint is a workshop to help faculty and staff learn how to recognize and respond to signs of distress in their students.
- You@KSU is an online resource to help students find tips and tools for everything from their mental and physical health, to friendships and finding balance in their lives.
With increased funding, possible added services and outreach include:
- Togetherall is a safe, online community to share feelings anonymously and get support to improve mental health and well-being. In the community, people support each other, and activity is safely monitored by licensed and registered mental health practitioners.
- Nature therapy CAPS and the College of Agriculture would collaborate to help people develop mindfulness and nurture their health through being with nature and cultivating green spaces.
- Canine- and equine-assisted therapy People interact with service dogs or horses while undergoing therapeutic interventions, facilitating therapy by providing patients with comfort, motivation and physical and emotional support.
- Recovery center Providing a center and support for students recovering from alcohol and drug addiction will give them a safe space to learn how to thrive with others who have had similar experiences.
- More Bandana Project training packs.
- More Project Waypoint training materials.
- An assistance fund for students needing services outside of K-State.
