Faculty Support and Mental Health in Higher Education

The mental health crisis on American campuses has been increasing over the past several decades. The Healthy Minds Study received data from over 350,000 college students in the United States between 2013-2021 (Lipson et al., 2022). It found that over 60% of college students “met criteria for one or more mental health problems, a nearly 50% increase from 2013” (Lipson et. al., 2022, p. 138). How can faculty at institutions of higher education partner with students in promoting better mental health outcomes? I will explore how faculty can support students struggling with mental health and provide ideas for faculty to engage students as allies in this fight. 

Traditional students in colleges and universities are typically between the ages of 18-22. They are often living away from home for the first time and are under an immense amount of pressure to do well in classes, form new relationships, and explore their independence—all while living with the global stressors of climate change, economic uncertainty, and social unrest. There is little surprise that the mental health of students is suffering. 

Non-traditional students, meanwhile, “are individuals who pursue higher education at a later stage in life, often juggling multiple responsibilities such as family, work, and other personal commitments” (Shannon, 2024, p. 13). While these students may be more established in their adulthood, their mental well-being is no less immune to stressors. Faculty at colleges and universities have the opportunity to come alongside students—both traditional and nontraditional—to help them confront their fears, find tools to cope, and to build a supportive community. 

Personnel on campuses can provide support in numerous ways. Building relationships with students can help students feel more at ease in academic settings (Bulan et. al., 2025). Faculty can also become involved in Mental Health Clubs, student organizations that promote community, safety, and camaraderie (Wu et. al., 2024). These groups can become a safe haven for students while they are away from home. Similarly, faculty can become “worldview champions” by supporting students with exploring their spiritual and religious belief systems by asking questions and validating the students’ experiences (Staples et. al., 2022, p. 314). Finally, faculty should consider engaging with supplemental resources and training offered on their respective campuses to further educate themselves on ways to support students. These are just a few strategies that allow faculty and staff to partner with students in their quests to navigate college during a challenging, transformative time in their lives. 

 

Building Relationships with Students

It would be nice if there were a magic button that allowed students to set aside mental health struggles and more easily focus on their studies. Unfortunately, it is never that easy. Finding a trusted mentor can make a difference in that experience. But how do faculty become trusted mentors?

First, begin with clear communication. As du Bray et al. write (2024), “whenever there is an occasion to do so, mentors should establish clear communication to help students understand the social and professional norms specific to careers inside and outside academe. Mentors should also expose harmful norms, including those that are unspoken” (p. 128). Clarifying academic expectations removes the guesswork from the college experience. Students who are unfamiliar with college norms are often hyper-aware of their actions and will worry about making a faux-pas. With clear communication, students are able to navigate confusing situations much more easily. 

Second, faculty can show empathy for students’ competing priorities. Faculty can achieve this by “understanding that students have other academic and personal obligations, making assignments reasonable, and avoiding ‘busy work’ and last-minute changes to assignments” (Woodruff & Boyer, 2024, p. 1042). By creating a classroom environment where students can prioritize their learning without becoming overwhelmed, faculty earn trust and open to the door to further build their relationships with students. 

Finally, a give-and-take in the student-faculty relationship is vital. Riggs et. al. (2023) note, “As with most interpersonal relationships, graduate students and advisors see their relationship develop over time, often through the process of disclosing information reciprocally … Graduate students suggested that a well-developed relationship encourages a level of comfort with disclosure that is not present in newly formed, undeveloped relationships, as time allows for more reciprocity and relationship development” (p. 3755). Self-disclosure from faculty provides a safe space for students to disclose their own struggles. The student knowing that they can express their struggles to a faculty member without judgement may be the first step in the student’s journey towards healthier, more stable mental health. 

 

Mental Health Clubs and Campus Affinity Groups

Student affinity groups and Mental Health Clubs have had a demonstrable impact on mental health outcomes. In fact, “CMS recognizes that the experiences of peer support providers, as consumers of mental health and substance use services, can be an important component in a [s]tate’s delivery of effective treatment” (Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, 2024). Faculty are well positioned to support, promote, and advocate for such groups. “Student organizations or college mental health clubs (MHC) have filled in some of the gaps in leading peer support and played critical roles in raising mental health awareness and promoting destigmatization” (Wu et. al., 2024, p. 999). These groups promote healthy coping strategies and normalize talking about mental health struggles that students face in a low-risk, peer supported environment. 

Peer-supported mental health strategies are also effective. A peer support worker is a fellow student trained to provide mental health resources. “Peer Support Worker (PSW) led support groups, while not a replacement for traditional care, enhance patients’ positive outlooks, empowerment, hope, and self-efficacy more than traditional services alone” (Johnson & Riley, 2019, p. 232). While peer support cannot replace professional care, there is no lack of work that needs to be done to address the mental health crisis. Johnson and Riley’s (2019) study found that PSWs also receive a positive experience from this work, improving their own mental health

while supporting others. “Peer supporters’ mental wellness does not decrease over the course of working as a mental health peer support worker; conversely, some aspects of well-being improve” (Johnson & Riley, 2019, p. 232). 

Faculty can come alongside the PSW to connect students with resources on campus. “Research shows that faculty equipped to recognize mental health needs and provide accommodations, resources, and referrals could play a significant role in students’ well-being and academic success” (Wu, et. al., 2024, p. 989).

Community is an integral part of life where people find meaning, purpose, and camaraderie. Creating a community on college campuses can be difficult, but it does not have to be. Affinity affiliations bring students together around a common ideology or identity. This is often where students find lifelong friendships that are based on mutual support and common interests. Many student groups based on common learning interests need a faculty advisor which allows faculty to be present in students’ lives, creating a natural space to build relationships and mentorship, both personally and academically. 

 

Encouraging Religious and Spiritual Practices

Faculty can also support religious and spiritual exploration of college and university students. Studies show that holding religious and spiritual beliefs have an impact on mental health outcomes. Utilizing the term “worldview champion” from Staples et al. (2022), we see how faculty, staff, and administrators can encourage students to explore their spirituality as a mechanism to combat mental health struggles.

Staples et. al. (2022) show us that religious or spiritual exploration can feel risky on some campuses. “The college campus can be a difficult place for students to explore their spiritual selves as part of their own wellbeing efforts. The data showed how students encounter spiritual dissonance and spiritual stifling on campus and the impact on these students’ spiritual wellness” (Staples et. al., 2022, p. 325). That dissonance included rethinking the belief system with which the student grew up, questions around sexual orientation and gender identity, and feeling unwelcome to talk about their spiritual experiences, especially for those practicing a minority religion.

Faculty—and schools at large—can support these students in a number of ways. Specifically, faculty can leverage the relationships they have built with students to ask questions about faith. As “worldview champions,” faculty can lead by example, role modeling “ownership of their spiritual identities” (Staples et. al., 2022, p. 323). Providing a narrative of their own experiences, worldview champions model different ways of growing in faith. Faculty can also advocate for spaces on campus devoted to spiritual practices, such as prayer and meditation rooms. 

A religious community such as a church, mosque, or retreat center offers further support to students. In addition to offering spiritual support, they often also facilitate access to housing, food, clothing, transportation, and other basic necessities. These communities offer friendship and camaraderie, too—relationships for students to lean on in crisis. A faculty member who is open about their religious affiliation signals to students that the faculty member is a safe person to talk to about spiritual questions. 

By opening the door to having spiritual discussions with students, faculty can have a lasting effect on students’ wellbeing. Staples et. al. (2022) put it succinctly: “Worldview champions can positively impact students’ overall wellbeing by accepting that students are ready to engage with their own spiritual explorations and being ready to offer meaningful, individualized support that promotes their spiritual wellness” (p. 328). 

 

Conclusion

There is a mental health crisis happening on American campuses. Across the country, students are reporting rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Faculty members have many opportunities to support students on their campuses. For faculty looking for ways to step into this important work, I have laid out a few recommendations with a low bar of entry. 

Building on the relationships already present, faculty can help students open up about their struggles. Faculty can create safe spaces for conversations and reinforce their support for students by reciprocating self-disclosure. As instructors, they can offer right-sized coursework while recognizing that students have multiple competing priorities such as other classes or family responsibilities. 

Faculty can promote and advocate for student affinity groups on campus and participate as faculty mentors in those spaces. They can encourage students to become peer support workers in mental health clubs, and ensure these groups are respected, legitimized, and well known across the campus.

Finally, faculty can be worldview champions for students who are exploring spirituality. On campuses where spiritual and religious beliefs are not prioritized, it is helpful for faculty members to own their spiritual identities and encourage spiritual congruence in students’ lives. 

These recommendations are not meant to replace the important work of mental health professionals, but to provide early interventions for students who need a little help. 

 

References

Bulan, P. M. P., Cabatan, M. C. C., & Espiritu, E. W. (2025). A scoping review of student faculty interactions and their impact on health professions students’ mental health. Health Professions Education, 11(2). https://hpe.researchcommons.org/journal/vol11/iss2/14 

Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services. (2024). Frequently asked questions on Medicaid and CHIP coverage of peer support services. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

du Bray, M. V., Negron, R., Krause, K. C., SturtzSreetharan, C., & Mayfour, K. (2024, April 5). Mentorship to support mental health for students in applied anthropology. Practicing

Anthropology, 46(2), 128-130. 

https://doi-org.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/10.1080/08884552.2024.2345795 

Johnson, B. A., & Riley, J. B. (2019, September 18). Psychosocial impacts on college students providing mental health peer support. Journal of American College Health, 69(2), 232-236. https://doi-org.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/10.1080/07448481.2019.1660351 

Lipson, S. K., Zhou, S., Abelson, S., Heinze, J., Jirsa, M., Morigney, J., Patterson, A., Signh, M., & Eisenberg, D. (2022, June 1). Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013-2021. Journal of Affective Disorders, 306, 138-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.038 

Riggs, R. E., Starkey, J. C., Rasmussen, E. E., & Shannon, K. L. (2023, April 13). Graduate students’ perspectives on the role of faculty advisors in helping students with mental health problems. Journal of American College Health, 72(9), 3753-3762. 

https://doi-org.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/10.1080/07448481.2023.2194443 

Shannon, K. (2024). Overcoming obstacles: A qualitative meta-analysis of barriers faced by non-traditional students (Publication No. 30992002) [Doctoral dissertation, South College]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. 

Staples, B. A., Shaheen, M., Mayhew, M. J., & Rockenbach, A. N. (2022). Challenge and  support: Worldview champions promote spiritual wellness. Journal of College and Character, 23(4), 313-332. https://doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2022.2123826 

Woodruff, A., & Boyer, B. (2024, October 10). Reimagining college mental health: Collaborating with faculty to build well-being supports into academic environments. Journal of College Student Mental Health, 38(4), 1038-1057. 

https://doi-org.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/10.1080/28367138.2023.2301397 

Wu, F., Freeman, G., Wang, S., & Flores, I. (2024, October 10). The future of college student mental health: Student perspectives. Journal of College Student Mental Health, 38(4), 975-1010. https://www-tandfonline-com.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/doi/full/10.1080/28367138.2024.2400612