Mental health concerns are a significant challenge for community college students across the country. And while the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health challenges, it did not create them. Mental health symptoms among college students have been rising dramatically for the past decade, and the easing of the pandemic will not make them evaporate.
Given the impact mental health concerns have on academics—including the likelihood that students will withdraw—colleges should take a more active role in both understanding and addressing students’ mental health and well-being. States this report from the Center for Community College Student Engagement. Colleges have an opportunity to be the place where students can find the mental health support they need, the report notes, and improve their students’ chances to thrive in college and beyond.
According to the report, college-wide efforts should include having resources that are easy to find and access. They also should make sure students hear about the resources regularly—and multiple times from multiple sources, beginning with the students’ earliest interactions with the college.