How to Help Students Better Utilize Mental Health & Support Resources on Campus

Helping students cope with Mental Health is difficult for a number of reasons.

It’s hard to get the word out to all students and make them aware of potential resources available on your campus. Many students are likely to be reluctant to seek help in the first place.

It’s also common for students to miss appointments and stop short of following through once they’ve reached out to seek help with counseling.

But it’s important to try, and keep trying. Here are a few ways that can help:

Make It Simple To Reach Out For Help

While we try to eliminate the stigma behind depression and mental unwellness, there will always be people who are ashamed to seek help. Sometimes, people want to try to solve a problem themselves and they’re hesitant to trust someone else to understand. So, when a student visits your website to seek out a way to cope with certain issues, they might be hesitant at first to involve a human.

A chatbot that lives on your website can seamlessly answer questions, eliminating the need for students to make uncomfortable phone calls. If a student clicks on a page, looking for information on Mental Health Support, the bot will ask a few questions. These questions are carefully chosen to ensure all responses lead to a positive destination.

The right chatbot can set up appointments with counselors and even connect people with mental health resources. When the right questions are asked from the beginning of a student’s search, there’s an easier path to the appropriate support.

Be Available When They Need You

If students have trouble finding what they’re looking for, they will leave your school’s website in frustration. The more obstacles put in the way of assistance, the less likely it is that students will find the important help they need to tackle stress and anxiety.

Our chatbot, Harmony, has given schools a 78% self-service rate, meaning site visitors had their questions answered without requiring human involvement. That’s a huge improvement over search queries.

The more your college can engage with students, the better their needs are being served. Students chatting with our bot exchange an average of 29 messages, which shows they are satisfied with the help provided and see value in these conversations.

Reach Out Directly

There are times in a semester where it’s best to have a proactive approach to helping students cope with Mental Health issues and anxiety. For example, there is a good chance students will be dealing with more stress than they can handle during finals week. A simple text could go a long way toward supporting students.

Check in and ask how students are doing. Offer them the option of speaking to an advisor or counselor if they’re feeling overwhelmed in their studies. You can even direct students to resources without them having to respond.

If students are short on time, they might not be inclined to seek help. That one text can start a back-and-forth that, at the very least, makes students feel supported and recognized.