>> GEORGIA COLLEGE
Georgia College & State University (GCSU) President Cathy Cox highlighted their Mental Health Initiative during the State of the University address on Feb. 3.
The University System of Georgia (USG) Mental Health Task Force was appointed in 2019 to begin development of the Mental Health Initiative that would identify areas of need and expand mental health support in all USG institutions using the Governors Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds of the federal CARES Act. In addition, USG provided mini-grants that would allow campus funding for unique needs that could be used for technology resources, increasing campus programming or enhancing communication.
“While USG students have proven to be remarkably resilient during the pandemic, with higher academic achievement and a record number of degrees awarded, the need for additional on-campus mental health resources has been heightened by the unique challenges students face right now,” states the University System of Georgia Mental Health website.
According to GCSU Director of Counseling Services Dr. Steve Wilson, these mini grants and funding have allowed GCSU to expand their assistance for mental health. Students have access to a 24-hour mental health support line, telehealth resources for psychiatry and counseling assistance, and free counseling. In addition, GCSU became a member of the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide in teens and young adults, and bought access to Cognito, a mental health conversation simulator.
“A one-size-fits-all approach does not fit everyone so the minigrants allow institutions to personalize the mental health initiative to better assist their campus,” said Wilson. “Georgia College used one of these grants to purchase access to Cognito which helps with mental health conversations all across campus between faculty and students or just between the students.”
Cognito was an online program that Cox highlighted during the State of the University address. This program was uniquely added to GCSU’s Mental Health Initiative about two years ago and has become more prioritized since the detrimental effects of COVID-19. Both students and faculty have access to the program online. It trains them on how to approach topics of mental health and initiate a respectful and beneficial conversation when they either notice someone suffering from mental health or when someone approaches them about their personal mental health.
“Cognito normalizes conversations about mental health because people may feel inhibited about having these conversations and it guides people how to express their concerns or point someone to resources,” said Wilson. “This year we are actually requiring all incoming freshmen to take Cognito and including it in staff training to ensure everyone has this training and exposure. It’s beneficial for everyone.”
According to Mental Health America, in 2022 19.86% (nearly 50 million) of adults experienced a mental illness and 4.91% experienced a severe mental illness. In addition, the estimated number of adults with serious suicidal thoughts was over 11.4 million. Please note that mental illnesses are only diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorders, excluding a developmental or substance use disorder and that individuals can suffer from mental health decline without having a mental illness. These statistics only represent the increase in mental illness and suicidal thoughts within America during 2022 which are aspects of mental health.
“Anxiety and Depression have always been the biggest mental health struggles that our students face. Before the pandemic, it may have been caused by monetary struggles, general stress related to classwork and life, and more. But the pandemic isolated everyone and heightened that anxiety about health and life and the isolation led to many feeling that they had missed out on opportunities in their lives,” said Wilson. “Our students in elementary to college all took a toll on academic preparation, social skills, and overall mental health that has been hard to recover from. That is why developing the mental health initiative is so important.”
According to Wilson, as of the last calendar year, 226 calls were made into the 24/7 mental health support line and 1,007 individuals completed training within Cognito. Georgia College is continuing its development of its mental health initiative, but Wilson stated that these developments are in a transitional phase as the college looks for more funding opportunities. Despite this, planning is on-going on how to better assist students with their mental health and overall well-being and the university continues to offer counseling and other outlets to support faculty as well.
“The struggle of mental health is ongoing and supporting our students and faculty through these hardships is a priority for the university,” said Wilson. “We are continuing to look for ways to fund and advance our Mental Health Initiative.”