This spring, Active Minds and the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition partnered to launch a survey that analyzed the inclusion of mental health practices and programs within the first-year experience (FYE) at postsecondary institutions.
Of the 48 respondents, more than half revealed that mental health content had been integrated into FYE initiatives only slightly or not at all. Yet, seven million students across the country meet the criteria for a clinically significant mental health problem, according to the study.
“For us, that was troubling that it was not integrated but understand the constraints of a first-year experience program,” said Amy Gatto, senior program manager at Active Minds, a nonprofit mental health organization. “Where does it fit, how does it fit, whose responsibility is it?”
Schools shared their stories about working with counselors or community health organizations as well as establishing student-led mental health programming. The barriers to incorporating mental health were also revealed, such as limited time in the first-year curriculum.
After analyzing the results of the survey, a guide was created to highlight successful first-year mental health initiatives for first-year students at institutions across the nation.
The guide, “Supporting the Whole Student: Promising Practices for College and University Staff to Integrate Mental Health Promotion in the First College Year,” focused on programs at Denison University, University of Richmond (UR), University of South Florida (USF), California State University at Long Beach (CSULB) and Skidmore College.
At Denison, first-year students participate in student and faculty-led advising circles and weekly small-group meetings to learn about the available mental health resources on campus. University of Richmond added it into the curriculum, with the requirement of wellbeing courses. Additionally, first-year students at Skidmore College are paired with peer mentors who have health and wellness training, according to the guide.
