Focus on Mental Health Enhances Services
Nationally, colleges and universities are experiencing a surge in demand for mental health services, and UMass Boston is no exception. In 2023, University Health Services’ (UHS) Counseling Center booked more than 3,100 appointments, reflecting the growing need for accessible mental health care on campus.
In response, UHS has prioritized improving mental health services, making significant recent investments to strengthen mental health and wellness initiatives and to launch new services.
To enhance the capacity and inclusivity of the Counseling Center, two new full time counseling positions were added, including one dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of Black and African American students.
UHS is also collaborating with two doctoral programs –the College of Liberal Arts’ clinical psychology program and the College of Education and Human Development’s counseling psychology program - enabling qualified doctoral students to provide counseling to students with supervision from Counseling Center staff. UHS has also increased the promotion of mental health services on campus, including of its 24/7 telephone-based emergency care, a “We’re Here For You” campaign, and an awareness campaign for staff about how to support students in distress. The Counseling Center staff have undergone extensive professional development training to learn how to improve support to our multicultural community. Finally, UHS has increased its capacity to offer psychiatry services to students and has hired two health educators to supply prevention and response strategies programming.
Beyond Health Services, promoting student mental health and wellness has become a campus-wide effort.
Athletics made mental health and wellness a special focus last season. Their staff and coaches completed a mental health first aid class, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) pledged to include a mental health awareness game/contest for all sports teams. They are also sharing a mental health packet with all visiting teams. A sport performance coach has also been working with teams and coaches to encourage non-clinical wellness strategies.
The university has introduced several wellness initiatives, including a multi-departmental campus Wellness Day, a full-time comfort dog named Beacon through the UMass Boston Public Safety & Police Department, and mindfulness meditation through Interfaith Campus Ministry.
In fall 2023, the university launched the Beacon Wellness Initiative to better coordinate health promotion efforts across campus, prioritizing support for students, faculty, staff, and community members, particularly those facing persistent barriers to wellness.