Introduction Purpose This toolkit aims to equip faculty members with the knowledge and skills to better support students’ mental health in the classroom setting.
Methodology Each strategy in this toolkit is the result of a comprehensive literature review of its effectiveness in supporting college students’ mental health. While mental health has become a focal point of discussion on many college campuses, the promotion of college student mental health is still an emerging topic in the literature. Thus, some strategies have not yet been tested widely for efficacy in randomized control trials. Each strategy page contains an “Evidence of Effectiveness” section where I outline the current research landscape at the time of publication of this toolkit. In the development of this toolkit, I held eight key informant interviews with USC faculty members. I attempted to gain diverse perspectives by speaking with faculty who hold different positions at the university (i.e. adjunct, associate, full time professor, tenure and non-tenure track) and those representing a variety of fields. I interviewed professors from the following academic schools: Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, Price School of Public Policy, School of Pharmacy, Rossier School of Education, Marshall School of Business, School of Dramatic Arts, Viterbi School of Engineering, and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. While this pool cannot represent each unique position at the university, I gained insights that were invaluable in developing the content and framing of this toolkit. In future iterations of the toolkit, I will seek feedback from additional faculty members.
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