The transition into college can be difficult and lonely. Without the structure and scheduling support from your high school guidance counselor, finding balance and routine in college can be hard. Additionally, students are working to establish new relationships and grow into their own, while adjusting to their new normal.
With the added stress of a new class schedule, making friends, learning the campus ropes and being away from home, it can be common to find increased rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation in college students. As parents and educators, it’s important to know the signs of a student struggling with their mental health and the ways in which you can help.
With guidance from Acenda’s Jennifer Kugler, Associate Vice President of Behavioral Health Services, and Christina Jackey, Senior Director of Acute Care Services, in addition to RCSJ’s Samantha Van Kooy, Associate Vice President of Community Engagement and Human Services, we’re here to support all incoming college students in maintaining their mental wellbeing and succeeding in the transition to university.
Early Warning Signs
According to Kugler and Jackey, there are several warning signs that can hint at a decline in your student’s mental wellbeing, including:
- Changes in academic performance
- Social withdrawal
- Emotional changes, like irritability or melancholy
- Physical and behavioral changes, like a lack of appetite
If a concerning change lasts more than two weeks, is out of character and is impacting school, relationships or daily functioning, it is worth encouraging the student to connect with professional support. This can include a counselor, therapist, campus mental health service or healthcare provider.
For more information on how to discern between normal stress and more concerning behavior, check out our helpful infographic by clicking the button to the right.
Common Misconceptions About Suicide and Mental Health
While there are many people who could benefit from professional support involving a counselor or therapist, there are some common misconceptions that often dissuade taking action. Some examples include:
- “Everyone feels stressed. You just need to push through it.”
- “Getting help means something is seriously wrong with me.”
- “If you ask someone about suicide, you’ll put the idea in their head.”
- “People who talk about suicide are just seeking attention.”
- “You can always tell when someone is suicidal.”
- “Suicide can’t be prevented.”
These outdated, harmful ideas often convince those who are struggling that they shouldn’t or can’t get help. When speaking with your student, be sure to counteract these misconceptions by normalizing conversation about mental health and encouraging professional support when and where it is needed.
Building Healthy Habits Before a Crisis
It’s critical to build strong, healthy habits ahead of time to protect one’s mental wellbeing, rather than waiting for a crisis. Helping and encouraging your student to take proactive measures to protect their health will give them structure and coping mechanisms, while allowing them to see you as a path for support. Jackey and Kugler recommend implementing some of the following:
Build and Protect Social Connections: Strong social support is one of the most powerful protective factors for mental health.
Prioritize Sleep: Sleep is often the first thing students sacrifice, yet it has a profound impact on emotional well-being.
Develop Healthy Stress Management Skills: Stress is unavoidable in college. Managing it effectively is a learnable skill.
Create Realistic Academic Expectations: Don’t melt down over a small dip in grades. Instead, focus on making a daily to-do list with goals that are achievable and within your control.
Pay Attention to Physical Health: Mental and physical health are closely connected. Acknowledge your physical, mental health and self-care needs ahead of time and make it a priority to maintain them.
Normalize Seeking Help: If you see that your student is struggling even with personal support, encourage them to seek professional guidance and develop a mental health plan to ensure their health, safety and security are preserved.
By implementing one or more of these habits into day to day life, your student can begin supporting their mental health in small ways before they experience any struggles.
What to Expect from Crisis and Emergency Mental Health Services
If your student finds themself experiencing a mental health crisis that they are not equipped to handle, it may be time to reach out to crisis or emergency mental health services, like Acenda’s Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services (PESS) or Mental Health Urgent Care (EISS). The goal of these programs is to provide immediate crisis intervention and assess each individual and situation for safety.
When you or your student calls, a certified psychiatric emergency screener trained in crisis intervention will respond and ask about the situation. Then, a staff member will come to your student’s location to offer intervention and further evaluation. If the screener determines that there is an immediate risk to your student or others, they may ask a family member or friend to call 911.
Before you call, have the following information ready about yourself or the individual you are calling for:
- Medical and psychiatric history
- current symptoms
- safety assessment of self and others
- information on current mental health crisis (triggers, reactions, coping mechanisms, etc.)
The screener will assess whether your student is safe at their current location or if they need additional evaluation in a hospital setting. When your student is safe to be in the community, the screener will develop a plan with your student for follow up, offering resources and support to friends and family. The screener will also call you or check in face-to-face post screening.
Remember, if the screener recommends that your student be transferred to a hospital setting, it is to ensure a safe environment to protect them and those around them, while offering additional assessment to determine the best course of action. Screeners work alongside police, medical professionals, social workers, family/friends and hospitals to best serve and protect everyone involved.
Responding to Suicidal Ideation
If someone confides in you that they have been experiencing suicidal ideation, the most important thing to remember is that your role is to help the person stay safe and get connected to support. You can use the following steps to give you guidance in your response:
Listen. Ask. Stay. Connect. Follow Up.
Listen: Stay calm and listen without judgment. Thank them for trusting you and let them know you care. Take all suicidal thoughts seriously and never assume they are seeking attention or exaggerating.
Ask: Question them directly about suicide. Try, “Are you thinking about suicide?” and “Do you have a plan or intent to act on your suicidal thoughts?” to assess their risk and avoid increasing suicidal thoughts. Higher risk requires urgent intervention.
Stay: Keep them company and stay with them while you work on getting them support.
Connect: Encourage contact with a counselor, trusted adult, mental health professional or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Do not promise to keep their thoughts a secret. Their safety is more important than confidentiality.
Follow Up: Continue checking in and offering support after the initial conversation. Consistent connection can make a difference.
Memorizing the steps above and following them in a crisis situation can help you and your student feel more stable and cared for in a time of need.
Mental Health Resources on Campus
Nearly every college campus has an office dedicated to supporting students’ mental health and wellness. There, students can find resources, speak to counselors and be connected with external therapists to better support their well-being.
“At Rowan College of South Jersey, our office is called the Center for Wellness and Support,” said Van Kooy. “We employ a case management model to meet students where they are and address their needs effectively.”
Campus mental health centers aren’t just for students in need of therapy or crisis support; they can also help those experiencing stressors that impact their mental wellness, including food and housing insecurity. University staff are prepared with resources to recommend to students to help them maintain stability and support throughout their college experience.
For students returning to college after a mental health crisis or hospitalization, it can be difficult to readjust to campus life and classes. Universities often offer support through their mental health centers to smooth the transition.
“Your wellbeing is always the number one priority,” said Van Kooy. “Wellness Center staff [at RCSJ] can help students transition back to campus after any type of leave. Often, the Center for Wellness and Support works closely with our Student Affairs and Special Services offices to ensure students receive appropriate accommodations when returning to campus. We can even facilitate communications with students’ professors to ease the transition back to classes.”
Starting the Search for Help
Starting the search for mental health support can feel challenging and overwhelming, especially if you’re new to campus. Beginning by searching terms like “counseling,” “wellness center,” or “mental health” alongside your college’s name can be a great place to start. Additionally, look to professors, resident advisors and other university staff to see if they can refer you to the right resources on your campus.
“Sometimes professors include information about the campus wellness center on their syllabus or online course homepage, so that is a great place to look first,” said Van Kooy. “I also encourage all students to check their emails often for announcements about wellness resources and programs.”
If you are having trouble finding support on your campus, consider reaching out to your county’s Mental Health Urgent Care. There, you can receive rapid access to a licensed clinician and advanced practice nurse. The staff at the Mental Health Urgent Care will be able to provide short-term services and monitoring while linking you to long-term support.
Moving Forward
Getting help can be difficult, especially in a new environment like a college campus. Be sure to prepare your student with the coping mechanisms to deal with their mental health journey on their own, while providing them resources on how to seek external support when needed. When in doubt, Acenda, and your child’s university, are here to help, every step of the way.
For more information about Mental Health Urgent Care, click the button below.
Acenda's Mental Health Urgent CareResources
Designated Psychiatric Screening Centers and Contact Information – NJ Department of Human Services
About the Authors
Jennifer Kugler, LPC, ACS is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor in New Jersey with more than 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field. Throughout her career, she has served in a variety of clinical and leadership roles, including providing in-home therapy to foster, kinship and adoptive families and overseeing outpatient, school-based, in-home, state-contracted and SAMHSA-funded behavioral health programs. Kugler is deeply committed to advancing best practices and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration. She has consistently worked to bridge gaps across departments, agencies, and service systems to promote comprehensive, coordinated and person-centered care.
As the Associate Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at Acenda Integrated Health, Kugler provides strategic leadership and clinical oversight for a diverse portfolio of behavioral health programs. She also serves as the Lead Coordinator of the Traumatic Loss Coalition for Salem County and as the Senior Leader responsible for the implementation and training of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) in partnership with the CARES Institute at Rowan University. Kugler earned both her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling and Applied Psychology from Rowan University.
Samantha Van Kooy is the Associate Vice President of Community Engagement and Human Services at Rowan College of South Jersey. She has worked in higher education for more than fifteen years and is passionate about supporting students in their pursuit of degree completion and achievement of their life goals.
Christina Jackey, MFT, is a behavioral health leader with more than 15 years of experience advancing crisis response, acute care and community-based mental health services. Jackey has collectively worked at Acenda for over a decade, using the past three years to serve populations seeking acute care for serious mental illness. As Senior Director of Acute Care Services at Acenda, she provides leadership programs focused on behavioral health crisis intervention, care coordination and improving access to critical mental health services. Christina collaborates on county mental health boards, system review committees and across mental health committees to improve crisis systems of care and support individuals and their families in accessing and understanding available services. Christina is passionate about fostering hope and resilience by building collaborative systems of care that support individuals and families during times of crisis. Through her clinical expertise and leadership, she advocates for mental health awareness, suicide prevention and innovative approaches that strengthen community well-being. Christina earned her Masters in Couple and Family Therapy and her undergraduate in psychology from Thomas Jefferson University.
Riley de Jong, the Content & Engagement Strategist with Acenda’s Brand, Marketing & Engagement team, attended the University of California – Los Angeles for her undergraduate degree in Communication and minor in Entrepreneurship. She enjoys supporting her community, telling engaging stories, and connecting with others.
