Student Mental Health in University
By: Lucas De Jesus, Antonio Johnson, Alex Vallejo, John Feliu
ENGL21002 / Writing for the Social Sciences / The City College of New York
12/12/23
Introduction
When it comes to education, mental health plays a very important role. Everyone, especially students need to be at a good place mentally to be able to make it through their day. There are multiple signs of people lacking in their mental health. For example, anxiety, stress, guilt are ways people can struggle. Mental health can be most impactful on students because if they struggle with it then can potentially be unable to learn which will lead to their grades dropping and it will only get worse from there. It is essential for students that schools establish aid for mental health, giving students counseling and more to benefit them. An article by CUNY mentions that “CUNY’s 18 senior community college campuses will receive allocations that they can use to expand the clinical staffs of their health and wellness centers” (2020). This is beneficial for students because they will have access to mental health counseling within the institution that they attend. When students feel the need of support mentally, they should feel free to seek aid. “These services include face to face therapy sessions, health and wellness assessments, referrals and the monitoring of patients progress” (Gallo, 2020). This is much needed for students whose mental health is having a negative impact on their academic performance.
Despite this being beneficial for the students, it is not very simple for the schools to find mental health counselors. For instance, “pre pandemic there was a national psychiatrist shortage that was considered to be even more severe than the shortage in any other specialty” (Gold, 2021). Since the pandemic in 2020 many jobs have closed down which means the amount of people that work to support those in need of help mentally have become very limited. With less counseling, there can be a much higher chance of students to suffer from depression. As of now schools are continuing to find ways of helping students with their mental health.
“Mental Health” for good and bad reasons has been popular over the past couple of years. Looking at Google Trends the search term “mental health” has risen. We see so many corporations, celebrities, and people you may follow online talk about taking care of your mental health and what it’s like to be depressed, anxious, etc. These discussions are important because there is finally acknowledgment that mental health is a real thing. These conversations cover personal encounters with depression and anxiety, shedding light on the realities of those who live with these problems on a daily basis. We want to take a deep dive into the mental health of students in university and most importantly we want to open a discussion on the mental health of students during COVID-19 and how this affected the landscape of what we know of mental health as of today. In this field research study, the issue of mental health was explored. The scope of this research covered students in CUNY schools. The main question that drove this research was how the mental health of students affects their studies and everyday life. Other questions such as how does the CUNY department aid students that deal with mental health? do the professors acknowledge when a student is suffering with their mental health and try to aid them if they can? Preliminary online research points to possible answers to these questions such as CUNY does have a student mental health support system and makes it accessible to any student. The objective of this research is to……. The following study consists of an observation in this field, two interviews with professionals, and a survey of the general public.
Methods
Participants
Field Observation Participants
For my research, I attended an event called “Unlocking Mental Health and its Secrets” On Friday, October 20th from 5 to 6 p.m. This was an online event held on Zoom and it was hosted by Tony Chen. There were 31 people in the meeting total including the host.
Interview Participants
For the second interview, I interviewed Juan Vallejo a college advisor working at KIPP NYC Forward a program offered by all KIPP Public Schools, my rationale for interviewing Mr. Vallejo was since he works as an advisor/counselor with college students he might be able to provide insight on students decreasing mental health and how that comes into play as their counselor.
Survey Participants
The survey was created online via Google Forms. The survey was also distributed online using social media such as Instagram and Discord. The participants were students who attend CUNY schools. The number of people who participated were sixteen. The only criteria they had to meet were they have to be currently attending a CUNY school.
Procedure
Field Observation Procedure
A field observation entitled, “Unlocking Mental Health and its Secrets” was an online event held on Zoom. This was an unstructured observation since before the event I did not know how it would be presented. Also, I was a disguised participant which means I would be present in the activities of the event yet I did not fully engage. I stayed silent while observing the dialogue of both the host and the participants throughout the entire meeting. Since the event is about mental health, it was to be assumed that the host would be talking about human emotions and ways it can change over time, depending on the situation.
Interview Procedure
An Interview with Juan Vallejo was conducted on December 5th. This was a structured interview conducted in person. I was able to find Juan Vallejo as an interviewee because I am enrolled in the KIPP Forward program where he is a college advisor. Although he is not my personal college counselor, I thought it would be perfect to interview him with his other students. I developed questions based on his role as a college counselor and how he manages his students’ mental health.
Survey Procedure
Creation of Surveys.
For the survey I used a google form to create it. The number of questions were six in total. The types of questions asked were how the participants were feeling and their knowledge of any mental health resources in their school. The subtopics were if mental health resources were made known in their school and if not, how they would fix that issue.
Distribution of Surveys.
Social media platforms were used such as Instagram and Discord. I was able to use group chats I was in that consisted of CUNY students. That made it easier to get results fast and I didn’t have to worry about non-CUNY students filling out the survey. I opened the survey on December 8th and closed the survey on December 11th.
Limitations
There were some methods that could not be performed that would have enhanced this study. These limitations consisted of having a lot of people to do the survey. We had the survey posted on Instagram and Twitter in hopes that people will open it within a couple of days.
Results
Field Observation Results
Field observation of Unlocking Mental Health and its Secrets
Once I joined the Zoom meeting there were around 10 people including the host. After about 5 minutes, there were about 30 people in the meeting total. Tony Chen, who was the host, began introducing himself by opening a slide which has information about him. He reads the slides, saying he is passionate about self-improvement, personal growth, and helping others achieve their full potential. He mentioned that the goal of this meeting is to help people with their negative emotions and have them control it better.
The host got started by asking the participants how they were feeling. The majority of them said that they felt “good” or “alright”. The host then started talking to us about negative emotions such as “sorrow” and “anxiety”, and explained multiple ways they can be triggered. One example he stated was being late to something important such as work and how that can cause stress and anxiety. Then he pulled up another slide that revealed signs of depression, some of which said “lack of interest”, “lack of sleep” and “guilt”.
After providing an example the host offers a chance for volunteers to share their experiences with negative emotions. One participant stated that she felt like people were gossiping about her at work and another one said he had anxiety when having a lot of work for school and not knowing how to manage his time. The host then gave some advice to the participants, telling them to “take a break from what you’re doing when you get the chance, and make sure you take care of yourself first”. While the meeting was ending, the host pulled up his final slide, showing us more meeting times, to offer people more aid with their mental health in the future. Some of the participants asked for more available times while the others who responded said they would attend.
Observation of the Anger Management Group
This group work/exercise consisted of 5 students and Sadiel Galan was leading the conversation. I was stationed behind everyone so I could be less noticeable and not have a big effect on the dynamic of the group. It was clear from a recent observation of Galans’s anger management group that they use a sophisticated and compassionate approach to leading these sessions. Participants were able to openly discuss their struggles and experiences in the group environment. Andreas, one of the students, effectively led conversations, creating an environment where group members felt comfortable being vulnerable and supportive of one another. One notable characteristic was Galans’s strong awareness of participant patterns and causes for behavior. By carefully planned exercises and honest conversation, they created a setting where people felt at ease delving into the causes of their rage. It was clear that Galan adopted a customized strategy, recognizing the distinct experiences of every individual and customizing solutions accordingly. Galan expertly assisted his group in identifying harmful thought patterns and swapping them over for more constructive ones. The focus on creating useful coping strategies, such as mindfulness exercises and deep breathing exercises, demonstrated a dedication to giving individuals useful tools for controlling their anger in everyday circumstances. Overall, the observation demonstrated by Galan showed his skill at leading anger management sessions as well as their commitment to building a network of support for people pursuing better mental health.
Interview Results
Sadiel Galan is an experienced worker who switched from corporate employment to freelancing ventures. He has a background in psychology and mental health. Having embraced the world of freelancing, Galan has a plethora of knowledge from their time working in a more professional and corporate world.
At the moment, Galan is actively collaborating with a group of college students. This collaboration creates an environment that combines professional competence with the passion and creativity of rising talent, allowing for a unique perspective on the opportunities and difficulties within the academic setting. I had the opportunity to ask him some questions on the work he does with his current group and his overall outlook on his career so far. He also allowed me to sit in on one of his group discussions and I was able to see how he interacted with his college students.
Why did you start working in the mental health industry and what was a major draw for you?
A: I saw early on how important it was to address mental health issues among college students. Observing the effects of life changes, identity development, and academic pressure brought to light the necessity of providing specialized mental health assistance in the university setting. After graduating from university, I immediately wanted to start helping students with mental health and be an outreach for students who may be going through really tough patches in their life.
What is it like being in a group that only consists of students who attend university?
A: The state of mental health among college students is ever-changing and varied. Stress related to school, peer pressure, and the process of self-discovery are common obstacles. There has been a discernible shift in the stigma associated with mental health issues throughout time.
You’ve been with the same group for about 3 years so I would really like to know what were the struggles of dealing with COVID?
A: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on college students’ mental health, especially my group. Existing difficulties were made worse by isolation, uncertainty, and disturbances to the daily schedule. Many students struggled to adjust to distant learning and experienced increased anxiety and sadness. Personally, for my group doing Zoom calls was a pain and not having face-to-face conversations with my group really affected the dynamic.
How did you guys adapt to the pandemic?
A: COVID-19 presented issues that needed to be met with a creative and adaptable solution. It was critical to recognize the particular stressors that students were facing and modify interventions as necessary. As I said before it was hard to adapt with the online meetings but gradually it got better for my group and eventually, we were able to make it back to where we are now.
Moving away from covid 19 for a second there’s a big discussion on mental health resources inside of colleges. How do you view this talking point?
A: Universities now provide a wider range of mental health services, including online support groups and therapy. During the pandemic, there was a marked increase in the demand for mental health treatments, which led to an increase in outreach and accessibility initiatives by institutions. But there is still work to be done. I know many students who struggle to find solutions on their campuses, and even if more services are getting provided there still needs to be more because simply there just isn’t enough.
In retrospect, looking at your career now, why did you choose this path?
A: Throughout my work, it has become more and more clear how important it is to address university students’ entire well-being. When I was studying in university at first, I wanted to become a teacher but majoring in psychology I found my niche and it was therapy. Then I went to work with different companies and then I decided to start doing more freelance work and now I’ve been working with this specific group for more than 3 years.
For my closing question, I want to ask you about your future and how you feel about the progress you want to make in your career?
A: Throughout my work, it has become more and more clear how important it is to address university students’ entire well-being. I really love the space that I’m in and I’m thriving at the moment with this group and I really couldn’t ask for anything else. At the end of the day, Students must understand that asking for help is a strength rather than a weakness. Mental health is a journey and at the end of the day I’m glad that I can be looked at as one of these outlets that students can come to.
(#2) Interview of Juan Vallejo (College Advisor)
On December 5th of 2023 at 9:00 pm I conducted an interview with Juan Vallejo, a college success advisor for KIPP Freedom. Juan works with college students on a daily basis to help students achieve academic success by using all the resources his company provides and the resources the Universities provide. This was a structured formal interview where I had prepared questions prior to the interview. Student mental illness has been on a rise and has been the highest it’s ever been in history having dealt with the recent pandemic and being the generation of social media. The purpose of this interview was to further understand the importance of mental health for college advisors and what help or resources are available to students who suffer with their mental health.
Q: How often do you discuss mental health with your students?
A: Every day that I work I discuss mental health with my students. When I was trained to become a college success advisor, we intensely learned social and emotional learning, basically where we must understand the students social and emotional condition and how that plays into learning.
How often do students approach you about their mental health?
A: My students approach me pretty often about their mental health, me and my students have developed a good enough relationship with me where they can feel comfortable expressing their feelings and concerns with me.
What are your immediate actions/ when a student reaches out about their mental health?
A: My immediate actions when a student reaches out about this mental wellbeing is to comfort them by letting them know it is totally okay to feel the way they do. I try to dig deep and better understand why it is they feel that way and what we can do about it.
Qari, you qualified to access a student’s mental wellbeing or do you refer them to someone else?
A: In a sense both, in training we covered how to identify a student’s mental condition and determine if it is worsening, but if the students seem to be in a critical state mentally, I reach out to my supervisor for further assistance.
Q: Do your students feel comfortable sharing something so personal with you?
A: Yes, because I practice social and emotional learning daily with my students, through time they have become comfortable with sharing personal information with me. It was a little hard at first to gain their trust and help them understand that I am here to help.
Inspirations for this role?
A: I am inspired by this role because I get to mentor kids who grew up in a similar environment as me, and it feels good giving them an ear and someone to talk to who can somewhat relate to their problems. As someone who also dealt with mental health problems during my time in college, I personally understand how important it is to have someone you can talk to about your problems.
Qualifications for this role?
A: My qualifications for the role are a Bachelor’s degree and previous experience in near peer mentorship.
What type of student mental health issues do students bring to you?
A: Students talk to me about being suicidal, wanting to transfer schools, responsibilities being a young adult, family issues, being pregnant, LGBTQ+, Identity problems. I would say a family issues and responsibilities are some of the prevalent issue
What are the various ways in which you can help?
A: I can help by providing as much support as I can using my resources and my company’s resources. In the past I have taken students out to eat and get to know them better and build a good relationship with them provide as much help and us
What has your experience or perspective on how quarantine and covid has impacted students’ anxiety and depression?
A: Students need more guidance, the last time many of my students were in high school was in covid/quarantine and then they head straight into college making it a more challenging transition, I felt as there has been an increase in students’ anxiety and depression after COVID
Have you found that students find it easier to talk to you than other advisors? and why?
A: Yea, because I also attended college during the pandemic and can relate to some of the experiences they are going through right now. I also have attended the same high school as many of my students, KIPP NYC College Prep, and I can understand some of the pressures and burdens that came with college.
Describe your role as a college advisor for KIPP
A: Provide KIPP students with emotional and academic support to ensure they are successful
What is the process of referral when you are dealing with students’ mental health?
A: I have regular meetings with my manager/supervisor where we discuss updates about all my students and I voice my concerns on the students’ growing psychological distress.
How do academic advisors keep students in good academic standing?
A: As college freshman students may need help finding resources at their college, help them connect with academic advisors on their campus, strategize on how students can make use of TA’s and office hours to ensure that there successful.
Survey Results
The survey was distributed over IMessage and Twitter. The purpose was to figure out how people were doing as well as if they thought their schools needed to improve their resources as well as how they would spread mental health awareness. The number of respondents were seventeen.
The first category of questions asked how the participants were feeling. The options were feeling great, feeling good, feeling okay, and not feeling good. 58.8% of the participants said they were feeling okay. 23.5% of the participants said they were feeling good. 11.8% of the participants said they were feeling great. The remaining participants said they were not feeling good.
For the second category the question asked how the participants felt about the mental health resources at their school. This was numbered one through five which one represented needs improvement and five represented excellent. 35.3% picked option two. 41.2% were more in the middle which was option three. 17.6% picked option four. 5.9% picked option one so they thought it needed improvement. No one picked option five.
For the third category the questions asked if participants think students need more mental health resources and how they would spread mental health awareness. All participants agreed that students need more mental health resources. For how they would spread mental health awareness most students went on the line of seminars, programs and seminars/ presentations. Others responded saying it should be in the curriculum and that professionals should come in and educate students possibly using activities.
Discussion
This study found that it is crucial for students to who are in need of support for their mental health to seek assistance because majority of people believed that students in general need more of those types of recourses. It is also found that the pandemic from 2020 onwards has played a significant role in negatively effecting people’s mental health due to students being forced to resort to online learning in which many have struggled to use, resulting in them being unable to learn in which “Existing difficulties were made worse by isolation, uncertainty, and disturbances to the daily schedule. Many students struggled to adjust to distant learning and experienced increased anxiety and sadness”. Also, since students remained at home they won’t be as likely to see a professional to support them with their mental health. School can be stressful for students so having access to mental health resources would be beneficial.
In my online research I have found that schools continue to find mental health counselors such as therapists, psychiatrist and more. It can be a struggle because of the limited jobs caused by the pandemic. On the survey 100% of students believed that students need more mental health resources which means that what the school have right now isn’t enough and that many students can still have a high chance of suffering from stress and anxiety. From the interviews conducted, it is found that students are actively going to mental health counseling as one professional name Juan Vallejo, a college advisor mentioned “My students approach me pretty often about their mental health, me and my students have developed a good enough relationship with me where they can feel comfortable expressing their feelings and concerns with me”. It is important that schools give students access to mental health resources such as counseling so that they will be able to learn without any problems.
I believe that in the future, the popularity of mental health awareness will expand, making it easier for students to get aid from professionals.
References
“CUNY Plans Expansion of Mental Health Services to Address Escalating Need of Students Struggling with Effects of Pandemic”. October 8th 2020. The City University of New York.
Gallo Emanuela. “CUNY expands mental health services to keep up students’ needs during the pandemic”. November 12th, 2020. The Ticker
Gold Jessica. “We Need to Talk About Another Pandemic Mental Health Crisis: Therapist Burnout”. January 19th 2021. Forbes
