Mental Health Training Programs for Faculty and Staff

Supporting the People Who Support Students

Nearly 80% of faculty report being engaged with student mental health issues — yet most feel unprepared to respond effectively. And with counseling centers stretched well past capacity, faculty and staff have become the de facto front line for student wellbeing, whether they signed up for it or not.

Our training programs are designed for that reality. Not to turn faculty and staff into therapists — but to give them the knowledge, language, and tools to show up confidently for students while protecting their own wellbeing in the process.

All of our trainings are trauma-informed, highly interactive, and customized to the cultural context of your institution. We don’t deliver off-the-shelf content — we collaborate with your team to make sure every session reflects the real dynamics of your campus.

Why Our Approach Is Different

Most mental health trainings produce short-term knowledge gains but little lasting behavioral change. Ours are designed differently — built on three principles that set them apart:

• We focus on the helper, not just the helped. Our trainings build emotional intelligence and self-awareness in faculty and staff — so they can manage their own discomfort while supporting students, rather than burning out or pulling back.
• We work within your context. National training programs often miss the unique cultural dynamics of individual institutions. We invest time upfront learning your campus — your students, your staff, your resources — before we ever walk in the room.
• We go beyond crisis response. Rather than focusing narrowly on warning signs and referrals, our trainings build a broader, more sustainable capacity for support — one grounded in connection, equity, and realistic expectations about faculty and staff roles.

The Reality Faculty and Staff Are Already Living

• Nearly 80% of faculty report being engaged with student mental health issues — yet most feel unprepared to respond effectively.
• Over 90% of counseling staff now report isolation, overwhelm, and burnout — meaning the demand on faculty and staff as informal supporters will only continue to grow.

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EmpowerED: Supporting Students in Distress

Faculty and staff don’t need to be therapists to make a meaningful difference in a student’s life. They need to know how to recognize distress, stay present without overreacting, and connect students to the right support — without taking on more than their role allows.

EmpowerED gives participants exactly that. This full-day training builds the practical skills and emotional confidence to respond to students in distress effectively and sustainably — without burning out or crossing into clinical territory.

Participants will walk away with:

• A grounded understanding of today’s college student — who they are, what they’re navigating, and what actually helps
• Practical helping skills and de-escalation techniques applicable to real campus situations
• The ability to recognize warning signs of serious distress, including suicide risk, and respond with confidence
• Clear pathways for connecting students to campus resources — without becoming the resource yourself

Duration: 6 hours of interactive instruction (8 hours total with lunch)
Format: Full-day, in-person; can be divided into two separate sessions if needed
Audience: Faculty, staff, and administrators (mixed audiences welcome)

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Reframing the Student Mental Health Crisis Narrative in Higher Education

Students today are often described as being in a “mental health crisis” — but what does that really mean, and where does that idea come from? This session invites participants to slow down and examine the larger forces — media, institutional policies, campus culture — that shape how we think about student mental health.

Together, we’ll explore how the dominant crisis narrative shapes perceptions and responsibilities, and practice shifting toward a more thoughtful, inclusive, and sustainable approach to student wellbeing — one that acknowledges real challenges without reinforcing fear, urgency, or unrealistic expectations.

Participants will walk away with:

• A broader understanding of the “mental health crisis” narrative: how media, institutional policies, and cultural assumptions shape perceptions of student mental health — and tools to critically assess what’s actually happening on their own campus
• Strategies to respond without overextending: practical tools to support students effectively while maintaining appropriate boundaries and recognizing the limits of their roles
• A framework for practical, inclusive support: a shift from reactive “crisis” thinking toward a more sustainable, equity-informed approach that emphasizes context, compassion, and collaboration across campus roles

Duration: 3 hours
Format: In-person, highly interactive with didactic elements
Audience: Faculty, staff, administrators, and student support professionals

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Supporting Students Without Losing Ourselves

Many faculty and staff care deeply about their students — but supporting students today often means taking on more emotional work, more roles, and more responsibility than ever before. Over time, this can lead to exhaustion, frustration, or even a sense of losing sight of your own purpose.

This session focuses on you — the people doing the work. Through reflection, conversation, and practical tools, we’ll explore how unspoken responsibilities quietly build up and affect your wellbeing, why it’s so hard to set limits in higher education, and how to do it in a way that protects your time, your energy, and your sense of meaning.

Participants will walk away with:

• A deeper understanding of invisible labor, mission creep, and moral injury — and how these dynamics quietly impact wellbeing, workload, and professional identity in higher education
• Insight into how hidden pressures fall unevenly on staff and faculty, particularly those in caregiving, student-facing, or equity-related roles
• Practical tools to clarify the boundaries of their professional roles, reduce role confusion, and identify where additional support or institutional clarity is needed
• Hands-on activities to map and reflect on their department’s formal responsibilities, informal expectations, and current scope of work — helping them name what’s sustainable, what’s not, and what needs to change

Duration: 3 hours
Format: In-person, highly interactive with didactic elements
Audience: Faculty, staff, administrators, and student support professionals

This session is designed to be validating, empowering, and honest — giving participants space to step back, reconnect with their values, and learn how to keep doing the work without losing themselves in it.