Why Mental Health Matters for Colleges and Universities

In this podcast, Dr. June Parks, a licensed psychologist specializing in childhood trauma, discusses how the youth mental health crisis, has been exacerbated and accelerated by the pandemic. Parks explains why mental health challenges on college campuses affect all members of the community, how generational differences impact individuals’ capacity to speak up about their own issues, and why mental health should be a primary concern for leaders in higher education.

Podcast Highlights

• Student mental health issues directly impact persistence, and academic performance, and ripple throughout communities of higher education.
• Generational differences affect the willingness and ability of individuals to discuss mental health issues and may inhibit younger and older generations from relating to such issues – despite the possibility that they may have shared similar experiences.
• Leaders and board members of institutions must implement robust systems to support the mental wellness of students and adults on campus. Providing flexibility for faculty, staff, and other members of the campus community is one of many ways leaders can offer help.
• In addition to stressors that have long persisted in higher education, such as financial anxiety and the pressure to succeed, students today face unique challenges related to technology, the climate crisis, deep divisions within their communities, and numerous impacts of the global pandemic.

To read the full show notes of this podcast, visit: https://changinghighered.com/mental-health-matters-colleges-universities/

Dr. Drumm McNaughton is a consultant to Higher Education Institutions and CEO of The Change Leader, a Higher Education Consulting Firm dedicated to helping institutions of higher learning succeed. To find out more about his services and read other thought leadership pieces, visit his firm’s website, https://changinghighered.com/.

The Change Leader’s Social Media Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/
• Twitter: @thechangeldr
• Email: podcast@changinghighered.com

Keywords: #HigherEducation #StudentMentalHealth #HigherEdPodcast