As colleges and universities nationwide face a growing mental health crisis, some higher-education institutions, such as Loyola Marymount University (LMU), are prioritizing mental wellness for their students.
The university’s Catholic values guide its dedication to student mental health and wellness, according to Briana Maturi, the director of LMU’s Campus Awareness Resource Education Services (LMU CARES).
“As a Jesuit institution, we value Cura Personalis, or the care of the whole person,” she told Our Sunday Visitor. “So when we approach mental well-being, we are interested in holistic wellness.”
Founded in 1911, LMU draws from its combined religious heritage of the Jesuits, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Based in Los Angeles, the university focuses on a three-fold mission: the encouragement of learning, the education of the whole person, and the service of faith and the promotion of justice.
“We recognize that if a student is struggling with anxiety or stress, it is in no doubt impacting other aspects of their well-being, such as their academic, social, spiritual or physical wellness,” Maturi added. “Cura Personalis is at the foundation of our approach to mental well-being.”
With this perspective, LMU offers a wide-variety of services to more than 10,000 students, including more than 7,000 undergraduate students, to cultivate mental health and wellness.
Growing mental health crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated a growing mental health crisis on U.S. college campuses, according to a report released this year by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation.
The report, “Stressed Out and Stopping Out: The Mental Health Crisis in Higher Education,” drew from data collected in the fall of 2022 and looked at U.S. adults who had a high school degree or equivalent and had not yet completed an associate or bachelor’s degree.
Following a Gallup survey of 12,015 adults, including 3,949 who were currently enrolled in an associate or bachelor’s degree program, the report found that 40% of all students say they “frequently” experience emotional stress while attending college while 46% say they experience it “occasionally.”
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Almost half of bachelor’s degree students (48%) say they experience this stress “frequently,” with 36% associate degree students saying the same.
Earlier this year, the National Education Association (NEA) highlighted a Healthy Minds survey published in March that raised alarms about student mental wellness.
“Specifically, 44 percent of students reported symptoms of depression; 37 percent said they experienced anxiety; and 15 percent said they were considering suicide — the highest rate in the 15-year history of the survey,” the NEA news story reported of the survey of 96,000 students across 133 U.S. campuses during the 2021-22 academic year.
Large increase
The year before, a piece published by the American Psychological Association last fall recognized that more than 60% of students met criteria for one or more mental health problems during the 2020-21 school year, representing a nearly 50% increase from 2013.
Those findings came from a research paper — “Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013-2021” — published in June 2022 by the “Journal of Affective Disorders.” The paper examined survey data from more than 350,000 students at 373 campuses that participated in the Healthy Minds Study between 2013 and 2021.
A more recent survey released in March of 3,000 undergraduates attending 158 two- and four-year institutions found that nearly half of students rate their mental health as fair or poor (rather than excellent, good or not sure). The Student Voice survey by “Inside Higher Ed” and College Pulse also discovered that the majority — three in four — say that stress negatively impacts their ability to focus, learn and do well in school.
LMU mental health resources
At LMU, students struggling with mental health can turn to several services and programs. Maturi, who directs LMU CARES, which provides education about resources, support, and policies regarding sexual and interpersonal misconduct and prevention, first pointed to LMU’s Student Psychological Services.
“I am proud to work at an institution that provides excellent counseling services to our students through our Student Psychological Services (SPS) department,” Maturi said. “SPS offers a talented and dedicated staff of mental health professionals who provide ongoing individual therapy and group support services.”
She also highlighted TimelyCare, a telehealth service with 24/7 access to mental health care, that the university provides to students at no cost.
“In addition to the in-person services, SPS offers telehealth therapy through a partnership with TimelyCare,” Maturi said. “Through TimelyCare, students can access remote counseling services should they prefer that modality.”
Maturi also pointed out that, through LMU CARES, the university includes wellness and resilience as part of the curriculum for their new student course and provides related campus-wide programming.
Weekly events
She also highlighted new efforts by LMU for the upcoming school year.
“A new upcoming initiative, in collaboration with ASLMU (our student governing board) and the Wellness Educators, we are hosting a Mental Health & Wellness Fair on October 11 at our weekly Wellness Wednesday event,” she revealed, referring to LMU’s weekly event that encourages students to focus on personal wellness.
The fair, she added, “will highlight all of the campus’s wellness resources and departments in observance of World Mental Health Day,” on October 10.
Last year, LMU also observed World Mental Health Day. Terri L. Mangione, dean of students and vice president of Student Affairs, saw it as an opportunity to share with students LMU’s resources. Among other things, she encouraged participation in “Timeout Tuesdays,” a 30-minute guided meditation, and listed LMU’s Community of Care, a case-management program to enhance community safety and student wellbeing.
LMU programs and resources only continue to grow: LMU Cares Online offers tools for stress and anxiety, SPS Wellness Groups and Workshops address issues such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness, and SPS wellness educators work to educate fellow students about mental health and wellness, reduce stigma around mental illness, and raise awareness of SPS and other wellness resources.
A special message
Maturi shared her message for students who might be struggling with mental health, including anxiety and stress.
“For any incoming or continuing student, if they are struggling with mental well-being, I want them to know that they are not alone,” she stressed. “At LMU, we want to support them and walk the journey with them by providing resources, but we also want to help them develop skills to continue to help themselves, as well.”
“In other words,” she concluded, “‘You’ve got this. And we’ve got your back!'”
