College students who have a relationship with someone who prompts them to seek help are more likely to maintain positive attitudes and expectations regarding mental health care. Research reveals that approximately 75% of those college students who sought psychological help did so at the recommendation of someone else.¹

More on Campus Resources – Counseling Services:

If you would like to ensure that a student connects with services, you may wish to call Counseling Services while the student is with you or offer to walk the student over to Counseling Services.

Counseling Services offers confidential short-term services. These include individual counseling; couples or relationship counseling; alcohol and drug screening/counseling; eating disorder screening/counseling; crisis intervention; and psychiatry services. Students who are currently enrolled for class credits at UWM and have paid the student segregated fee are eligible for services at no cost. With the exception of urgent situations, students are encouraged to phone Counseling Services in advance at 414-229-7429.

For students experiencing crisis situations or who have urgent needs that are not life threatening, brief screening sessions (up to 30 minutes) are provided to help stabilize the situation and determine what further services may be necessary. A  Counseling Services counselor is on-call for walk-in crisis appointments between 9am–3pm (Mon, Weds, Thurs, Fri) and 10–3pm (Tues). An appointment is not necessary, but there may be a wait to be seen if the counselor is occupied with another student at the time of your arrival.

UW Mental Health Support 24/7  – 888-531-2142

If you or a loved one is facing a mental health crisis or in need of immediate support, call or text UW Mental Health Support 24/7

• • 24/7 crisis support with a trained crisis responder
  • Bilingual services in English and Spanish
  • Call or Text (888) 531-2142
  • Chat Send a chat in the UW Mental Health Support 24/7 Portal 

While most college students who use or experience problems as a result of alcohol or other drugs are not necessarily at the point of being addicted to these substances, some may still display behaviors that cause individuals close to them to become concerned about their substance use. By saying something, you may help your friend avoid consequences such as poor academic/job performance, unhealthy personal relationships, legal problems, and health concerns.

More about available resources:

• e-Check Up to Go: An anonymous online alcohol assessment and personalized feedback tool that allows you to reflect on your use of alcohol and consider how it may affect your health and other things that are important to you. Visit www.e-CHUG.uwm.edu. If you would like to discuss your feedback results, please call 414-229-3712 for a free and confidential appointment.
• BASICS: Brief Alcohol Screening & Intervention for College Students (BASICS) offers students who use alcohol or other drugs an in-person, confidential and non-judgmental opportunity to explore their use, receive personalized feedback, and consider strategies to reduce the risk for negative consequences. For more information visit uwm.edu/basics.
• AODA Treatment Services: Counseling Services offers voluntary, short-term Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) evaluation and treatment services that are not mandated for the student. These services include AODA assessments for students who have questions or concerns regarding their use of alcohol or other substances. For those students desiring treatment of an identified substance use problem, short-term weekly counseling sessions are also offered. For students whose substance use problems require more intensive AODA services, referrals to community resources are provided. University Counseling does NOT offer medications designed specifically for drug detoxification or abstinence maintenance. Call Counseling Services at 414-229-7429 to schedule an appointment.
• Prescription Drug Drop Box: A prescription drug drop box is conveniently located at the UWM Police Department for the proper disposal of unneeded prescription medications.

If a student is resistant to seeking assistance, try to identify the cause for their hesitation and correct any misperceptions that they may have regarding the availability of services and implications for obtaining help. Remind them that campus counseling services are free and confidential and that taking care of themselves is a smart, strong, and success-driven thing to do.

If a student remains resistant and is distressed but NOT acutely suicidal, you may want to:

• Seek consultation from Counseling Services at 414-229-7429 to sort out the relevant issues and explore alternative approaches
• Consult with others. Don’t worry alone about a student in distress. Discuss the situation with a colleague, supervisor, Department Head, or Dean
• Contact the Dean of Students Office
  Call (414) 229-4632 or
  E-mail dos@uwm.edu or
  Report your concern to www.care.uwm.eduThe Dean of Students Office (DOS) is able to assist students directly and also to guide faculty and staff in assisting students. DOS is a central repository for information about concerns related to students. This is an appropriate place to contact if you have concerns about a student’s mental health. You do not need to explicitly tell the student that you are contacting the Dean of Students Office, nor do you have to be convinced that the student has a mental health problem. Rather, you can contact them if you have concerns and you think that others might too. DOS will coordinate concerns about students from various parties and works with several campus departments to determine how best to address the concerns. The Dean of Students Office may follow up with you to discuss your concerns further and/or to get more information to better determine a course of action.The Dean of Students Office is also knowledgeable regarding various resources on and off campus that may be helpful for students dealing with a variety of life circumstances (e.g., financial, academic, social, need for course withdrawals). Faculty and staff should not hesitate to contact DOS when they have concerns about a student’s health and welfare. More information can be found on the DOS website regarding student support and the CARE Team at http://uwm.edu/dos/
• If the student lives in University Housing, contact the “Residential Professional Staff on Duty” (RPSOD) to alert housing staff about your concerns. Contact the RPSOD by calling the respective service desk in the residence hall where the student resides, and ask the service desk to contact the RPSOD.
  Service Desk phone numbers:
  • Sandburg: 414-229-6123
  • Cambridge Commons: 414-935-6900
  • RiverView: 414-229-3595
  • Kenilworth Square Apartments: 414-229-0512

  University Housing is committed to maintaining the physical and emotional well- being of residents:

  • University Housing staff members will typically follow-up with residents in cases where a concern for their mental health has been made known (whether originated by members of the community, staff members, parents and family members, or other sources).
  • University Housing staff members (sometimes assisted by the UWM Police) may perform wellness checks if a parent, friend, or other community member expresses concerns for a resident’s well-being or safety.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides you, and members of your household, with confidential resources for assistance with:

• Personal Concerns
• Work-related Concerns
• Legal Situations
• Financial Situations
• Work/Life Balance

For more information, visit: Employee Assistance Program (EAP) | Human Resources (uwm.edu)

The program’s counseling services are available at no cost to you and your household members.  Professional counselors are available both on the telephone and on an in-person basis in our local area.  You can receive up to 6 sessions, per issue, per year. If additional counseling or services are recommended, the counselor will assist you with accessing providers covered by your health insurance plan.

Mental health issues are among UWM students’ primary health concerns. Indeed when asked to cite the health conditions that they had been diagnosed with, and treated for, in the past year, depression and anxiety disorders were among the top 4 responses provided.²

Moreover, a significant number of UWM students report having experienced mental health issues that range from feeling overwhelmed to feeling sad, hopeless, or so depressed that it is difficult to function. Specifically, when asked to indicate the mental health issues that they had experienced within the last 12 months, 86% of UWM students surveyed reported feeling overwhelmed, 63% reported feeling very sad, 55% reported feeling very lonely, and 47% reported feeling hopeless. Furthermore, 33% reported that they had felt so depressed that it was difficult to function, and 58% reported that they had felt overwhelming anxiety. Additionally, a percentage of UWM students also indicated experiencing issues related to suicidality, with 8% of students reporting that they had seriously contemplated suicide in the past 12 months, and >1% indicating that they had attempted suicide during this time.²

Mental health issues can impact all aspects of a student’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal functioning. These concerns also have the potential to impair a student’s academic performance and enrollment status. For instance, in one sample of college students, depression was significantly associated with lower GPAs and a greater likelihood of dropping out of school, even when controlling for prior academic performance and other related variables.³ At UWM, stress, depression, and anxiety were among the top health factors that students believed had affected their academic performance in the past year.²

Strive to create meaningful connections with your students
University students who received intellectual, emotional, and/or career encouragement from a faculty member reported an enhanced sense of emotional well-being. In addition, the receipt of honest and individualized feedback from faculty was also associated with higher self-ratings of psychological health.⁴

Help students develop life skills
Life skills are psychosocial abilities – such as time management, budgeting, and relationship building – that enable individuals to cope with and meet the demands of everyday life. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and the Jed Foundation’s research-based Model for Comprehensive Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Colleges and Universities identifies “developing life skills” as one of seven areas for strategic intervention that are essential to a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention and mental health promotion among college students.⁵ Providing students early assistance with life problems may prevent them from becoming acutely distressed and experiencing depression or anxiety at the level that would require treatment.

Develop course activities and assignments that foster social networks and encourage student connectedness to campus
College students with lower quality social support are more likely to experience higher rates of mental health problems, such as depressive symptoms.⁶ Moreover, school connectedness has been shown to have a strong negative correlation with both concurrent and future symptoms of depression and anxiety among adolescents, and participation in student organizations may serve as a protective factor in preventing suicidal ideation among college students.^7,8

Include a statement on your course syllabus which reflects your desire to support students’ mental health
In addition to helping students feel supported and conveying your willingness to provide assistance, this statement can also strengthen students’ understanding of the relationship that exists between emotional health and academic success. In turn, this may increase help-seeking behaviors. Indeed, over 2/3 of college students have indicated that faculty members and course instructors are believable sources of health information.⁹

Be aware of signs and symptoms of emotional distress, and maintain knowledge of campus resources
Due to the frequency and nature of their interactions with students, UWM faculty and staff may be in a primary position to identify and intervene with students who are experiencing issues related to emotional distress. College students who have a relationship with someone who prompts them to seek help are more likely to maintain positive attitudes and expectations regarding mental health care.¹

Work off stress. If you’re upset, blow off steam through activities like walking, running, or other exercise. Physical activity provides an outlet for physical and mental stress, and regular exercise makes your body more able to deal with the effects of stress.

Sleep and eat well. Lack of sleep can lessen your capacity to deal with stress. Similarly, unhealthy or irregular eating habits interfere with your mood and ability to cope with stress.

Balance recreation and work. Over the course of a week, make sure that you are taking time to care for your academic, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual needs.

Establish priorities. If you are feeling overloaded, create a list and take on tasks one at a time.

Learn to accept what you can’t change. If a problem is beyond your control, try your best to accept it. Focus on things that you can do something about.

Avoid “self-medicating.” Alcohol and other drugs are not effective ways of coping with issues in your life that may be causing you worry or distress. Turning to substances in order to cope with stress or other emotional difficulties increases your risk for experiencing negative consequences as a result of your use.

Talk about your worries with someone you trust. Sometimes another person can help you see a new side to the problem and, thus, a new solution.

Seek help when you need it. If you are experiencing on-going stress or have experienced a life event or crisis that has increased stress in your life, resources are available to help. UWM has contracted with FEI to provide Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services for all permanent employees. Participation is voluntary, confidential, and free.

For immediate assistance, call FEI at  (866) 274-4723 (24/7) or access on-line information at https://www.feieap.com (UWM’s “Company password” is SOWI)

For additional strategies, visit http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/live-your-life-well