ENHANCING MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS IN A TIME OF CHANGE YEARS
3 and 4
As part of Reigniting Our Strategic Directions Goal 3: Enhance the Student Experience, Enhancing Student Mental Health & Wellness in a Time of Change is a holistic, four-year strategic plan that identifies achievable, data-informed goals that will enhance critical health and wellness resources and have a meaningful impact on Seattle University student persistence and retention.
A working group of health and wellness professionals developed this plan based on the lived experiences of Seattle University students and data from the National College Health Assessment and Healthy Minds Study, CARE Team & Early Alert referral trends, departmental program and service usage data and recommendations from the JED Foundation.
Enhancing Student Mental Health & Wellness in a Time of Change focuses on four main objectives:
1. Reduce Mental Health Stigma & Improve Student Wellness and Functioning
2. Improve Faculty & Staff Readiness to Support Student Mental Health
3. Increase Access to Clinical Mental Health and Basic Needs Services
4. Optimize Administrative Processes, Risk Management, Data, and Resources
Each objective is associated with specific goals, many of which support Goal 4 (Inclusive Excellence) by improving access to mental health treatment, wellness resources, and basic needs for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, undocumented, economically disadvantaged, and other marginalized populations. A summary of our accomplishments in Years 1 & 2 and a list of our goals for Years 3 & 4 are below.
WHO IS INVOLVED?
In partnership with colleagues across campus, this effort is led by the “Address Student Wellness Working Group”, part of Reigniting Our Strategic Directions, which includes representatives from:
• Campus Ministry
• Counseling & Psychological Services
• Disability Services
• Office of the Dean of Students
• Student Health Center
• University Recreation
• Wellness & Health Promotion
KEY DATA POINTS
NATIONAL / MENTAL HEALTH
The number of college students seeking counseling services increased nearly between 2009-2015 (CCMH Annual Report, 2015).
of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem in the 2020-21 academic year (Healthy Minds Study, 2021).
of students reported symptoms of depression, 37% reported symptoms of anxiety and 15% reported thoughts of suicide (Healthy Minds Study, 2021).
of white college students sought mental health treatment compared to 23% of Asian students, 26% of Black students and 33% of Latino students (Lipson et. al., 2018)
NATIONAL / FOOD SECURITY
As estimated college students experience food insecurity, including of undergraduate students and 12% of graduate students (National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2020).
Black or African American students reported the highest level of food insecurity at . Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students and American Indian or Alaska Native students followed closely, with reported rates of 32.6% and 29.9%, respectively. In contrast, the reported rate of food insecurity for White students (18.0%) and Asian students (17.6%) is nearly half of that of their Black or African American peers” (National Postsecondary Study Aid Study, 2020).
of undergraduate students at four-year non-profit institutions received some kind of emergency aid from their universities (National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2020). 60% 40% 4 million 34.6% 44% 46% 8.9%
KEY DATA POINTS
SEATTLE UNIVERSITY / MENTAL HEALTH
In 2023-24, 1 out of 4 visits — — to the Student Health Center was related to mental health diagnosis and/or treatment.
In 2023-24, CAPS treated unique students in 1,200+ clinic visits.
According to the SU State of the Undergraduate Student Survey (SUSS), participation in UREC activities was the number one strategy students use to promote their mental health. In 2023-24, 3,000+ students, faculty, staff, and alumni members access UREC programs and services.
ACCORDING TO THE SEATTLE UNIVERSITY NATIONAL COLLEGE HEALTH ASSESSMENT (2021):
of undergraduate students reported symptoms of anxiety. of students reported symptoms of depression.
of graduate students reported symptoms of anxiety. of graduate students reported symptoms of depression.
percent of law students reported symptoms of anxiety. of law students reported symptoms of depression. 26%
According to the Seattle University Healthy Minds Study (2021):
of students at Seattle University were experiencing symptoms of at least one significant mental health problem, such as depression, anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-injury, or eating disorders.
Among these students, 42.7% reported not receiving any treatment.
of Seattle University students reported that they experienced suicidal ideation within the past year.
11% 4% 1% 23% 57.6% 58.3%
had developed a suicide plan within the last year.
(70 students) reported that they attempted suicide within the past year.
of SU students engaged in non-suicidal self-injury.
of undergraduates reported feelings of loneliness on the UCLA Loneliness Scale and higher levels of loneliness were reported by Black or African American (72.7%), LGBQIA+ (62.9%) and trans* and gender non- conforming students (75.0%).
In nearly all measures of mental wellbeing, Black, LGBQIA+, and trans* and gender non-conforming students reported increased levels of mental health conditions and concerns.
Seattle University CARE Team Referrals:
963
students were referred to the CARE Team during the 2023-24 academic year, a nearly 62% increase in referrals since 2020.
$75,000
Office of the Dean of Students and the MOSAIC Center provided more than in emergency funds to support student basic needs in 2023-24.
Wellness & Health Promotion’s Food Security Program provided more than $12,000 in emergency dining cards to support food security in 2023-24.