Rewiring Mental Health Services For A Post Pandemic Campus

About this episode

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed structural weaknesses and inequities across the nation in all major industries - housing, government, finance, health care, and education. This revelation resulted in educational institutions across the nation successfully reworking the more traditional aspects of student success such as instructional modality, classroom technology, and basic needs. However, most institutions continue to seek the elusive answer to the problem of finding the best practice in addressing the fragility of mental health services on the college campus.

Higher Ed Rewired has a roundtable discussion with three student leaders from the California State University as they recount what the pandemic meant for their mental health. We also meet with Dr. Eric Wood, Director of Counseling and Mental Health at Texas Christian University, and Dr. Sarah Lipson, Co-Principal Investigator and Associate Director of the Healthy Minds Network, as they provide solutions and discuss what universities should be doing to address the mental health crises on the college campus.

 

Featured on the Episode:

Dr. Sarah Ketchen Lipson is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Law Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is co-Principal Investigator of the Healthy Minds Study and Associate Director of the Healthy Minds Network.

Lipson's research focuses on understanding and addressing mental health inequalities in adolescent and young adult populations, especially college students. She employs varied methodologies, including large-scale epidemiological surveys and population-level interventions. Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, New York Times, Huffington Post, and NPR.

At BUSPH, she teaches Research Theory and Design and Applied Studies in Health Services Research and is faculty director of the Master's of Science in Health Services and Systems Research 

Lipson completed a dual PhD at the University of Michigan in Health Services Organization and Policy at the School of Public Health and Higher Education at the School of Education, and a master’s degree from Harvard University.

 

Dr. Eric Wood currently serves as the Director of Counseling & Mental Health at Texas Christian University and has over 12 years of experience in college mental health, including serving on the advisory board for the National College Depression Partnership and a peer reviewer for the Journal of American College Health. 

Wood holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of North Texas. The highest priority for he and his staff is stewarding the trust that TCU students, and their families, give us regarding their mental health and psychological well-being. He is committed to providing the highest quality of care and maintaining TCU’s recognized status as one of the leading institutions in the field of college campus counseling.

Joshua Ochoais currently serving as the Associated Students President at San Francisco State University, and earning his Master’s in Public Administration. Joshua believes “we must all be and fight for the change that we want to see in the world.” At SFSU, Joshua has served students on the Associated Students Board of Directors by advocating for expanding basic needs initiatives, tuition-free public college, and equitable access to public transportation. He is motivated to fight for working-class issues through writing public policy, people-centered urban planning, and a constant push for advocacy and activism.

Dixie Samaniego (Ella/She/Her) is a third-year Political Science major and Women and Gender Studies minor at .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}