Student assistance program: a new approach for student success in addressing behavioral health and life events.
College health centers, whether large or small, often find it challenging to provide counseling and supportive services for all students (including remotely located students) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Student assistance programs (SAPs) are services provided to students through a contractual arrangement to the university or college as a part of student services. The goal is to address psychosocial concerns that may interfere with academic performance within the realm of short-term counseling. These services range from traditional behavioral health concerns about stress and depressive reactions to how to find child care with foreign-speaking services. In this article, the authors describe a method to provide such short-term counseling to a 2,200-student health-science campus. They present data from 1 year of service as well as the benefits and limitations.
Veeser
Peggy Ingram
PI
University Health Services, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Nursing, Memphis 38163, USA. pveeser@utmem.edu
Blakemore
Carol Warren
CW
D003376:Counseling; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008016:Life Change Events; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013333:Student Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities