Experts across America have gathered statistics that point to a mental health crisis for college students. Anxiety concerns have risen from 56 percent in 2013 to 65 percent in 2023, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. The center also found that the number of students seeking help has steadily increased from 2009 until the pandemic. In response to the crisis, Southern Adventist University is working to ensure that students have access to various high-quality mental health resources.

Southern has designated the current Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) as Healthy Minds. Through the QEP, Southern expanded its annual Mental Wellness Week, which began four years ago. This year, the event took place during the second week of school and culminated in a convocation presented on September 5, 2024, by local counselor Tiffany Bartell, PhD, LPC, MHSP. Bartell spoke about her personal story of resilience and encouraged students to recognize resilience in themselves.

“What you did to get through high school may not work in college, but what you used to figure out how to do high school will work,” Bartell explained. “That’s your resilience.”

Bartell emphasized the importance of well-being in all aspects of life to achieve a healthy mind. This advice was reflected in booths in the Bietz Center for Student Life, where students could learn about resources for physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being during Mental Wellness Week.

Thursday’s booths targeted spiritual wellness, which recent research points to as a critical aspect of mental health. Studies show a potential link between spirituality and lower substance abuse and depression, according to articles published in the National Library of Medicine.

“I believe that what sets Southern apart concerning mental wellness is that we have the spiritual component,” says Dana Snedden, counselor and QEP director. “We all have one thing in common, and that is a need for a relationship with Christ.”

Snedden explains that the Healthy Minds plan is about “improving the mental wellness of the entire campus.” The university fosters this through events that bring attention to Southern’s mental health resources, such as Mental Wellness Week. In addition, mental wellness curriculum has been added to professional development for professors and courses for students, such as Southern Connections and Developmental Psychology. Snedden consistently listens to student feedback to continue growing the initiative. Programs implemented during the Healthy Minds QEP will continue even after Southern implements a new QEP in 2027.

“The idea that we can continually improve the program here at Southern is a really important mindset,” Snedden says.

Southern offers in-person counseling in the Bietz Center for Student Life and teletherapy with a 24/7 crisis line through uWill to further enable mental wellness. Last year, the counseling office had 1,995 appointments from 441 clients. Uniquely, to minimize wait times, students are quickly led through the initial steps by interns in Southern’s counseling or social work graduate programs. In addition, the office hired a fifth counselor this year to help meet demand.

Brandon Grentz, Counseling Services coordinator, notes the importance of peer support in mental health. “We can all take some time to engage with mental health as an entire campus by being kind to one another, checking on our friends, and fostering a healthy environment for us all to grow,” he shares.

Click here to learn more about Southern’s Counseling Services department, and here for quick facts about Southern. 

~Chehalis Eno is a junior English major at Southern Adventist University.