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Supporting JCU Student Wellness From a Distance

Jed Foundation Webinar – How Faculty can Support Student Mental Wellness

The Jed Foundation presented a live webinar on supporting student wellness from a distance. You can view the slides to this presentation here. 

Below is a brief “tips sheet” that summarizes some of the key points from the webinar:

Faculty Tips Sheet

•    You do NOT need to be everything to students, but you can be a great bridge to other resources available to them. 

•    Know the signs of distress. Common stressors during this period of social isolation may include: o    Uncertainty of duration o    Fear of infection – for self and others o    Frustration, boredom and loneliness o    Grief and loss

•    Provide space for students to share their COVID-19 experiences. Encourage discussion about challenges they’re experiencing, and ways they’re coping. •    Give students the opportunity to individually check in via email or online office hours. •    Use V-A-R to support students.  o    Validate the student’s concerns;  o    Appreciate their willingness to share them with you;  o    Refer them to campus resources. 

•    Employ principles of active listening. Hear on 3 levels: o    Content of what they are saying; o    Emotions that they are feeling;  o    Behavior in response to those thoughts and feelings.

•    Know the resources. Students can still utilize campus resources during this time including Counseling Center, Academic Advising, Student Accessibility Services, Career Center, Writing Center, Learning Commons, CSDI, Financial Aid & more. 

•    Encourage schedule consistency. Now more than ever, students will need some routine and normalcy in their lives. Encourage them to stick to a schedule that balances academic productivity with self-care.

•    Promote self-care. For yourself and your students!  o    You could include self-care tips in daily lectures/power points. Specific self-care tips are shared in the webinar slides (starting on slide 41). o    Utilize mental health services available to you through Impact Solutions.

Counseling Center Services

The Counseling Center remains available to all JCU students to support their mental health and wellness. We are offering Zoom consultations with a therapist for all JCU students, although due to state licensing restrictions, we can only offer a one-time consultation for students currently residing outside Ohio. Students still residing in Ohio can continue with a regular frequency of appointments.

For more info about Counseling Center virtual services, click here.

For additional pandemic-related resources on our Counseling Center website, click here

Online Training for Supporting Students in Distress

The Counseling Center promotes the use of Kognito’s online training for supporting students in distress. This training provides faculty/staff with the opportunity to learn and practice strategies for supporting students’ mental health and wellness needs. It only takes approximately 40 minutes to complete, and you can stop/start at any point. It is recognized as a best practice for college faculty/staff by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check out the Kognito page of our website to take the training yourself.