Mental Health Training Programs
Tailored Training Programs
The prevailing notion on campuses has been that students in distress should seek out the expertise of mental health professionals. While this approach has its merits, it poses a significant problem—the scarcity of therapists to meet the soaring demand. As a result, faculty and campus staff often serve as the initial responders to students’ behavioral health issues. However, many faculty and staff feel ill-equipped to address the complexities of student mental health. This is where the significance of specialized training becomes undeniably apparent.
Our Strategy
The Issue: Research indicates that most mental health trainings lead to short-term enhanced knowledge, but not long-term behavioral change.
Our Solution: By focusing on emotional intelligence skills, our trainings target how helpers can better manage their own emotional discomfort in the supportive process, thus leading to more sustainable behavioral changes.
The Issue: National training programs often times lack alignment with the unique cultural contexts of individual institutions and the unique makes of the students.
Our Solution: We invest time and effort in collaborating with the university’s staff, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of the unique needs of students, enabling us to tailor our training to the specific resources available at your institution.
The Issue: Mental health training programs often fail to address the nuances of how mental health issues manifest within the classroom and strategies to manage them.
Our Solution: Our faculty trainings and fellowship deliver customized training that caters to the unique learning requirements with the classroom.
Together, we can create a university environment where every member of the academic community is equipped to promote mental well-being ensuring that our students thrive, both academically and emotionally. Below are detailed descriptions of what we can offer. If interested, please contact the Director of Young Adult and College Behavioral Initiatives, Megan Kersting, at megan_kersting@williamjames.edu to schedule a brief virtual introductory meeting to discuss your specific needs.
The Role of Faculty in Student Mental Health
80%
Managing student mental health.
Over 80% of 1,695 faculty members surveyed reported they had dealt with student mental health issues over the past year.
51%
Lack of confidence in skills.
Only 51% of faculty members indicated confidence in their ability to identify signs of student emotional distress.
73%
They want training.
73% of faculty members expressed a strong desire for further professional development on the topic of student mental health.
EmpowerED: Supporting Students in Distress
This training is designed for faculty and staff members who are eager to acquire essential skills for assisting individuals dealing with emotional distress. It empowers faculty and staff with the skills to manage their own emotional distress effectively while helping others, therefore creating a more comprehensive and decentralized approach to student mental health support.
- Audience: Mixed (administration, faculty, and staff)
- Training Format and Duration: 6 hours of interactive in-person instruction with lunch provided (8 hours total). This full-day interactive and experiential training covers: understanding today’s college student, what is good mental health, helping skills, what does distress look like, de-escalation skills, warning signs of suicide and asking the question, connecting students to help and campus resources. (NOTE: This training can be divided into two separate days if needed).
Caring Campus
This organized event is for faculty, staff, and administration seeking a better understanding and guidance on addressing students’ mental health challenges within their institution, particularly those who may feel uncertain about the best approach. It fosters motivation and garners commitment from individuals who might otherwise be disengaged.
- Audience: Mixed (administration, faculty, and staff)
- Training Format and Duration: 4 hours in-person with lunch provided. This interactive event is collaborative with
existing campus resources and is divided into four sections:
- Introduction to Reimagining Behavioral Health on Campus,
- breakout sessions for faculty and staff,
- table discussion to process breakout sessions and generate ideas, and
- large group debriefing to operationalize ideas.
Compassionate Boundaries with Today’s College Student
This specialized training program is designed to equip faculty members with the skills and strategies needed to establish and maintain healthy boundaries while supporting students' mental health. Recognizing the increasing demands on faculty in this aspect, the training aims to empower educators with effective tools for managing expectations, fostering a supportive environment, and promoting their well-being. Participants will explore the importance of creating a supportive and respectful environment while balancing their commitment to student success with their own well-being.
- Audience: Higher Education faculty members, instructors, and educators (can be modified for mixed audiences of faculty and staff)
- Training Format and Duration: 3 hours of interactive in-person instruction. This training employs a dynamic mix of interactive activities, group discussions, and role-playing exercises to ensure active engagement and practical application of concepts. Participants will have the opportunity to share experiences, learn from peers, and gain valuable insights into fostering a supportive and compassionate learning environment.
Contact Us
If interested, please contact the Director of Young Adult and College Behavioral Initiatives, Megan Kersting, at megan_kersting@williamjames.edu to schedule a brief virtual introductory meeting to discuss your specific needs.