Colleges with best mental health support

Parents Forum
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My daughter is slated to go to college fall 2021 as long as her health is good; she’s been in recovery from an eating disorder for 3 years. We’re wondering if parents in similar circumstances could share what colleges they found to have strong mental health and eating disorder support. She’s applied to Emory, Vanderbilt, Rhodes, William and Mary, UNC Asheville, Duke, Mount Holyoke, Georgetown, University of Richmond and has been offered a place in the Honors College at UT Knoxville.

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Boston College fits her list and is exceptional.

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Thanks

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I would talk to health services at each college. As you know, eating disorders are serious, and the pressures of college can cause a relapse. Regardless of where she attends, she needs to have an off campus therapist. College mental health services are not for chronic issues (most limit you to 10 to 14 sessions for crises). You need someone who will engage long term.

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Do you know if they also have good accessibility services?

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I don’t know specifics about counseling at these schools but some of them have a reputation for being high-stress culture environments. You might want to look at that since I think that stress culture would lead to more anxiety/ need for control. Best of luck to her next year!

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Thanks. We are looking for the right balance between academically interesting and too stressful. We really like UNC A which would have a much better vibe and Mount Holyoke could work. We’ll see.

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Thanks, good to know about the limited sessions. We’ll be checking health services closely as well as putting together a team (nutritionist, therapist…) off campus. She’s doing pretty well and she knows she can only go if she stays in strong recovery.

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Sorry but would you clarify what you mean by accessibility? I have been heavily involved in learning tools lately so my definition may not be inline with yours. Thanks.

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Sorry, I meant working with students who have hearing loss, learning disabilities, anything covered on an IEP or 504 plan that someone might need accommodations in college for.

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I almost know enough to answer, but I truly don’t want to exaggerate my knowledge. Sorry.

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No problem! It is good to know that they have good mental health resources.

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Of your list, Richmond and UT Knoxville are JED campuses.

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I wish I was current. Many years ago, Brown and Cornell had centers for EDs. BC had resources for outpatient psychiatrists and psychologist for EDs. When I worked in ED residential settings, I had personal relationships with people from Stanford and USC and UCLA. If your DD has been in a treatment center, the staff would have knowledge of local places with a good support network.

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My daughter has had regular therapy and psych services at her school for three semesters now- they don’t have a limit and have a robust setup. She has adhd and GAD, and is being evaluated for OCD- I can’t speak to how they manage other issues, of course.

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@michaeluwill, BC’s application window closed 1 Jan.

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From my experience, most schools have a support center on campus with licensed therapists. Some colleges offer counseling with a limited number of sessions while others have no limit. Many have 24/7 emergency services and some offer group therapy, too, for certain issues. Major challenges colleges face today include:

  • dealing with the large number of students that have behavioral health issues
  • offering the counselor diversity needed to meet student demands
  • adhering to licensing needs associated with the move toward teletherpay

Colleges are amazing, but mostly can’t afford to hire enough counselors to meet the need.

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Thanks for this resource