UMass Student Wellbeing Programs featured in SAMHSA Guide

Programs offered by UMass Amherst’s Center for Health Promotion (CHP) and Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH) are highlighted in “Prevention and Treatment of Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among College Students,” a new resource guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. UMass is featured as one of four examples of colleges nationwide that have successfully incorporated evidence-based programs and practices to address the mental health needs of their student populations.

UMass programs detailed in the report include a suicide prevention gatekeeper training; Managing Emotions, a free skill-building workshop; Let’s Talk, informal counselor-consultant sessions; the Peer Health Education Program (organizers of Paws Program therapy dog events); and Fresh & Sober, a support network for students in recovery from substance use. The report also cites CCPH’s 24/7 rapid crisis assessment and intervention and psychiatric consultation services as well as the incorporation of mental health into the academic curriculum through two courses: Changing Minds, Changing Lives, a resilience and strengths-based curriculum; and Positivity and Relaxation Training (PART), a course that helps students develop a self-care routine to help manage stress.

CCPH and CHP are part of the Campus Life and Wellbeing cluster within Student Affairs & Campus Life.