OA SPRING-SUMMER 2025 MAGAZINE - with links

Building a Culture of Care: How SMWC is Prioritizing Student Mental Health and Wellness By BJ Riley ’16, ’23MLD, ’24MBA Associate Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Community Relations

Mental health support is a top priority for students when choosing a college, and according to some studies, 60% of prospective students rate mental health services as a crucial factor in their college decision. Students sometimes rank this as the most critical aspect of a college’s wellness support, above dining, fitness and physical health. Another study shows that almost half, 46%, of students entering college have a diagnosed mental health condition. Melissa Grinslade, MSW, LCSW, recognized these challenges when she was appointed campus counselor in August 2023. When she arrived on campus, she was a department of one. She knew that there was a lot of work to do, but first, she had to figure out how to create a list of priorities while addressing the vast counseling needs on campus. “I particularly love college counseling because it is such a pivotal and important time for our students. We get to help them not only be successful in school but also gain skills to be successful once they leave.” In spring 2021, Lilly Endowment Inc. announced an award of $8 million to establish MINDfull College

Connections (MCC), a not-for-profit consortium comprising SMWC, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, and DePauw University. The objective was to expand mental health resources for consortium college students, creating more opportunities than the institutions could do independently. The goal was to establish and share clinical services, peer education and preventative care across the campuses. Grinslade immediately dug in and needed to identify the needs of students. She used a Healthy Minds survey to collect data to pinpoint the needs. She shared, “The results were a bit surprising, showing that the students struggled with higher-than-average percentages of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation.” The MCC grant allowed Grinslade to expand the staff, and she brought on Sara Julian, MSW, LCSW, in September 2023 as the MCC campus counselor to assist, as well as Emma Campbell ’13, ’21MLD, in January 2024 as the MCC mental health educator. Additionally, the grant allowed Grinslade to envision a space more conducive to a comprehensive mental health center

rather than the spread-out offices they all occupied. Last summer, she and the staff relocated from Le Fer Hall to the second floor of the Conservatory of Music, transforming rooms that were previously used as storage spaces into welcoming areas for students. The area became the Student Counseling and Wellness Center. The space redesign emphasizes the confidentiality of their work, along with an inviting atmosphere that fosters comfort with students to fulfill their counseling needs, as well as relaxation and gathering. This is all part of the strategic plan that Grinslade developed, based on the results of student surveys, to serve immediate needs for counseling while helping students build positive mental health. A crucial aspect of the plan is collaborating with students to develop skills that enable them to navigate life's challenges, thereby maintaining a healthy balance in terms of mental, emotional and physical wellness. In the short time that Grinslade has been at The Woods, with the help of her staff, she has been able to expand services from just counseling to a focus

on prevention and education. Her department has been actively involved in helping faculty and staff understand how to support students in crisis. “This has worked well and paid off with a noticeable increase from the referral process. The number of students that come for counseling has increased, but that is a reflection of education and training.” Grinslade added, “The need has always been happening. Creating awareness is drawing more students to our services.” The staff has increased the number of opportunities for students to engage through activities conducted throughout the year. “We create interventions through education and prevention, and the activities are intentional. We don’t want people to come and see us for therapy, but rather we want them to have skills to navigate life challenges,” she said about the numerous activities. These activities include a Health and Wellness Fair, several Canines for Christ events featuring therapy dogs, Destress events held just before finals week and the Day of Play on Study Monday of finals week. “This may look like just a fun program, but it is an intervention to

create a neurobiological impact when engaging in fun to release ‘feel good’ chemicals to reduce stress, which helps with concentration and memory,” Grinslade said. Other events included the Be Safe, Be Brave program, providing education and conversations about healthy relationships; the Take Back The Night event, bringing out more than 70 students during Sexual Assault Awareness month; and a partnership with Campus Ministry to host the Sound of the Spirit Event in the Conservatory of Music for emotional wellness and spirituality. But Grinslade and her staff are not just waiting for students to come to them. This past academic year, she recruited five peer educators, who were student workers, to help raise awareness about the mental health and wellness center. She has developed presentations that staff can use in classrooms, and they set up tables at various student events to raise awareness. The peer educators are assisting with outreach events, addressing educational needs, and managing social media. “They are

vital in helping us to understand the mental health needs on campus further, plus they bring a youth edge that is important.” The center has achieved numerous accomplishments in a relatively short time. What started as one person in August 2023 has expanded to include another counselor, a mental health educator, a part-time psychiatrist and five peer educators. She also has plans to bring on interns who are studying for their master’s as well as bachelor’s degrees. “We accomplish our goals through the support that we get from faculty, staff and students to make what the center is now, happen. We all feel that the campus has come together to support what we are doing.” Photos - Left: Day of Play on Study Monday Top L to R: Sound of the Spirit Event, Be Safe, Be Brave program, Counselors - Sara Julian, MSW, LCSW, Melissa Grinslade, MSW, LCSW and Emma Campbell ‘13, ‘21MLD, Bottom L to R: Canines for Christ and Take Back the Night Event.

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