Normalize Help-Seeking Approach Normalize help-seeking behavior; reduce the stigma commonly associated with seeking mental health services
Description Despite access to campus therapy services, many students experiencing mental health or substance abuse concerns do not seek professional help. Common barriers to care in a university student population include stigma associated with mental illness and lack of knowledge of available services. Normalizing help-seeking is one method of overcoming these barriers. Ideally, students will be comfortable with and knowledgeable about asking for help.
Targeted Strategy Support students with mental illness
Evidence Of Effectiveness There is demonstrated need for normalizing help-seeking, as over half of college students who meet the criteria for moderate to severe depression and/or anxiety are not utilizing therapy services (Eisenberg et. al, 2007). Research has shown that students who hold higher personal stigma of mental illness are significantly less likely to seek therapy services (Eisenberg et. al, 2009). Based on these findings, researchers have called on practitioners to develop methods to encourage college students with mental illness to seek treatment, with particular attention towards reducing stigma.
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