The challenges faced by community college students compared to their “traditional” peers are well-documented. These learners are often older and derive from low-income or working-class backgrounds. They’re also more likely to be caretakers for children or aging parents, even as they’re the first members of their family to attend college.
These familiar obstacles can generate a less visible mental health crisis, posing a threat to a student’s academic progress and career prospects. Although the Covid pandemic aggravated the problem, demand for student mental healthcare has long exceeded on-campus capacity, said administrators and experts interviewed by Community College Daily.
The post-pandemic era has been about bolstering resources – not only wellness and counseling, but the wraparound services that themselves are preventative measures against stress. Given that “serving the whole student” is central to the community college mission, addressing deficiencies in mental health support is a clear priority, said Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College (Massachusetts).
“Our students are damn gritty and resilient – we have single moms with three kids and two jobs taking courses,” said Eddinger. “Students have such a strong image of themselves when it comes to withstanding stresses, but our educators must be advocates as well. We don’t get to sit back.”
Overcoming challenges
By most metrics, student mental health is worsening. According to the 2023 Community College Survey of Student Engagement, about 26% of enrollees are likely to have a depressive disorder, while another 32% have generalized anxiety disorder. Over half of respondents (56%) reported that emotional or mental health challenges affected their academic performance in the previous four weeks.
None of this surprises Eddinger, considering the unique set of circumstances preventing community college learners from academic completion. The pandemic both exacerbated these issues and put a spotlight on their harmful impacts to student mental health. A renewed civil rights movement, galvanized by the killing of George Floyd and similar events, added stress to students of color, who comprise 52% of Bunker Hill’s enrollment, Eddinger said.
Isolation, depression and financial-related pressures haven’t disappeared in the intervening years. Even virtual counseling services that emerged during Covid excluded students who couldn’t afford its pay-for-use model.
Bunker Hill is tackling these challenges through outreach, securing state innovation funding for an expanded counseling and wellness center that opened in February 2023. Strong ties with policymakers were key to opening the center, though true success relies on enhanced engagement with potential users, Eddinger said.
“It starts with kids knowing the help is there,” she said. “It’s hard to spot students in crisis, because there’s such a stigma around seeking help. And students are so buried in what they’re doing, they don’t think about reaching out to sources. Even small challenges can seem monumental, and it’s tougher with underserved populations. You have to be intentional, or else you may lose that connection.”
A sense of belonging
Bunker Hill’s mental health work centers on early intervention, led by a multi-disciplinary team of college and public safety officials. The college’s CARE Team (Campus Assessment, Response and Evaluation) receives reports of concerning behavior and then determines the best response, which may include counseling at the wellness center.
For example, a bipolar student who stopped taking their medication may be directed to the center, or external partners like the Mass General Brigham health system. While law enforcement is vital to mental health intervention, officials are committed to avoiding the criminalization of individuals in peril. In addition, students using the wellness center are supported under HIPAA privacy laws, ensuring those visits never become part of their academic record.
Openly acknowledging a problem is a critical first step, one complicated by a society that still treats mental health issues as taboo. Eddinger compares the stigma of mental well-being to food insecurity, noting that both issues bring a sense of shame to those seeking help. Students continue to rely on the campus food pantry, and Eddinger hopes to see comparable demand at the wellness center.
“The center is busy all the time, meaning people are using it,” Eddinger said. “It can’t provide 100% of all the help that’s needed, but at least students are being referred to it to the point where we are over capacity.”
Three-quarters of students at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) attend part-time, with most juggling work and family responsibilities. Covid-era telehealth programming offered a window into student struggles, insights that now inform the mission of the new Office of Wellness and Mental Health.
Launched in 2022, the office directs students to free resources encompassing a 24/7 talk line, basic needs support, self-care assistance and scheduled counseling. Over 9,000 students have registered for NOVA’s TimelyCare telehealth program since its inception, said President Anne Kress.
The service is available to NOVA employees as well, illuminating the wider culture of self-care on campus. Help is essential in light of the current government shutdown threatening federal SNAP food assistance and childhood education and development programming, Kress said.
“People are struggling financially, and looking for a sense of belonging,” she said. “An epidemic of loneliness came out of Covid. If you’re an online student, or just going to campus for class, you need a sense of community to show that you belong.”
Strengthening student care
Along with on-campus services, NOVA has 290 local providers offering low- to no-cost mental health programming. This summer, NOVA police introduced Fiji, a two-year-old labrador retriever trained to provide comfort and stress relief to students, faculty and staff, Kress said.
“It’s about destigmatization – reaching out for help is just part of being human, and we are here to offer that help,” she said. “When you’re in a stressful situation, we get it. If there’s anything we can to do de-escalate stressors so students can focus on success, we should do that.”
NOVA’s programming must continually evolve to ensure it reaches every corner of its six campuses. Student ombuds deliver additional support and outreach as part of a larger strategy to merge mental health services with basic needs, Kress added.
“It’s not just about advising or financial aid anymore, but financial stability, wellness and mental health,” she said. “These are not add-ons, but essential supports for our students. We’re creating a culture of care that leads to student success.”
Considering the direct mental health benefits of housing and food support, these wraparound services must be a core component of any community college wellness initiative, said Hollie Chessman, director and program officer with the American Council on Education.
Given her background in student mental health and well-being, Chessman advises administrators to adopt a proactive approach when designing solutions for behavioral health.
“Connecting students to resources is a good way to head off isolation and loneliness,” she said. “You also need students at the table – ask them what they’re looking for in terms of the college experience. You may be providing a resource that students don’t need, when they need something bigger in another direction.”
Eddinger of Bunker Hill said robust mental health services will only strengthen the larger community college mission of holistic student care.
“It’s all tied together, because you can’t study when you’re hungry, or when you can’t get childcare,” she said. “That’s why we needed a mental health center, and to build this integrated care model with academic and basic care.”
