Diverting Crisis
Here’s a thought - given the difficulties many teens have transitioning to college or work on their own, wouldn’t it be something to create a proactive system that could alert employers or colleges when someone is feeling isolated or perhaps going down a troubling road?
One specific gap that we know exists for college-age students is a system for campuses to flag when students are isolated – a kind of software system that would prompt student services to reach out rather than “passively” offer a clinic or hotline. “I like the database idea because you create a more holistic set of information,” says Haley Gregory, an MSW from New Jersey. “Leaving it up to one professor at these big schools, even small ones, is asking a lot – the students will invariably find their person – maybe it’s a coach, a roommate, a waiter at the diner – but oftentimes they will insulate after trauma or due to depression or the transition to school, so having some data that student services can monitor makes sense.”
8 of 10 colleges say they offer virtual services or counseling programs specifically for mental health but 9 in 10 say their systems to proactively flag students in crisis are limited. “It shouldn’t be about those in crisis - of course that’s important - but it really ought to be about those on the path to crisis….the kid who misses a week of class or the kid who is eating alone,” Connie Flack, an admissions director says. How do we empower the student body and also student services?
There are companies that have formed recently to try and be the support system for this population. Charlie Health and Mantra Health, both behavioral health companies focused on adolescents and young adults, are partnering to broaden access for undergraduate and graduate students seeking behavioral health care. Mantra Health already focuses on students but only offers virtual care and other services like peer support and education. The partnership will allow Mantra to refer students needing more intensive services to Charlie’s intensive outpatient programs.