There are nearly 20 million college students in America. The COVID-19 pandemic made college far different than they expected.

“Even prior to the pandemic, universities nationwide were seeing huge increases in the number of students struggling with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts,” said Jennifer Henry, MA, LPC, director of the counseling center. “People forget that college students are barely adults. They think they’re doing fine, that they can handle things on their own. But really college is a time when students are expecting to branch out and be spontaneous. They’re having this experience but in such a different way.”

To address those challenges, Maryville University announced expanded Mental Health First Aid training for faculty and staff. The program previously launched in August 2021 with 50 individuals taking advantage of the course. The expansion invites and encourages all faculty and staff to participate. The training teaches how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use problems. The goal is to equip individuals to become better observers and responders to students in order to be able to spot problems before they become a serious challenge.

The training is led by Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Ashlyn Cunningham, OTD/OTR/L, who is a certified instructor for Mental Health First Aid. Individuals are certified for three years after completing the training.

“The pandemic has caused emotional strain and enormous psychological impact on our students that we want to mitigate,” said President Mark Lombardi, PhD. “Often, if we can address mental health and substance use problems early on, we can make a difference. Maryville is offering this training to faculty and staff so that we are better prepared to serve our students and each other.”