Mental Health Question

College Confidential Community
1

Hi CC community -

I am a professor of clinical psychology. I’m also a mom of a son who graduated from engineering school in May '18. I’ve noticed with my son and MANY of my students that mental health during college has become a real crisis. Counseling centers are overwhelmed and students still feel a sense of stigma going to therapy (not to mention that it can be expensive, difficult to share such concerns with parents, and time consuming).

As part of an Entrepreneurship class I am taking, I have to start a new business-type endeavor. I’m looking into developing a not-for-profit website where college students can build profiles and upload video messages of encouragement and advice for others to view. So many of my students who have been through rough times feel compelled to give back some form of support. I strongly believe you don’t need a PhD or peer-to-peer counseling training to provide encouragement/advice and let a peer know they’re not alone. Obviously, it is not a substitute for mental health care and therapy - just another form of support and an opportunity for those students who have weathered storms to send some good out to the world.

Right now, to avoid haters, I am providing a “heart” button, but no commenting capacity.

So, my question is… would you take the time and make the effort to upload a video message of support based on your own experiences for a struggling student? Would you go to such a site and view others’ messages if you were feeling down or alone or anxious?

My heart goes out to the students, like my son and those in my classes, who have struggled with mental health issues but who are uncomfortable sharing these challenge with others.

Any feedback or thoughts would be most welcome.

2

This sounds like an excellent idea to me… I’m wondering if it would also be possible for students to go to the site with a specific problem/in more of a forum setting, to ask for help from peers. Obviously it would have to be very carefully moderated by someone with a background in social work, because it would also be a very powerful tool for identifying those students who really need professional help.

3

This is an good idea, but I do think an interactive component is important. That way people can share experiences, relate, and offer affirmation. Speaking from personal experience, a video of yourself is a relatively personal experience and I would not do so unless I felt some sort of personal connection or community to the members. I would look into interesting similar apps such as “7 Cups” or “Stigma” which are more community like in nature. I think we do have a lot to learn from eachother though, and I appreciate you thinking of this because I think many students struggled with mental health during my time in college.

4

Thank you for your response. I’m just now seeing it. I agree, an interactive component is useful. I see plenty of potential for negative and hurtful interactions, so I’m going to consider this carefully. I’ll check out the apps you suggested. Thanks!

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

5

Look at the example of Demi Lovato. She has shared her experience publically, and people are responding with #howdemihelpedme on twitter.

Or “It gets better” which is the same thing you are saying but for LGBQT+ youth.

So yes, I think people would.