Dear Faculty Members and Student Services Colleagues,
We hope you have had a restful and restorative summer. As we begin the 2022-2023 academic year, we are sharing with you some updates on services for students that may be useful for you to keep in mind as we return to our busy academic pursuits.
This year, our clinical faculty in Counseling and Mental Health are moving to increase access to and ease of mental health support for students by moving to a “stepped care” model, one that incorporates tools, support services, and clinical care to address the range of experiences and needs of students. Our goal is to deliver the right care, at the right time, by the right person, for the best outcomes for our patients.
- This stepped model of care engages new products and services that we will be available this academic year. Expect to hear more as products are officially launched by Student Health.
- You may already be familiar with the embedded counselor and liaisons programs, where mental health professionals are placed in closer proximity to academic and student communities, increasing both access and connection for students.
- Counseling and Mental Health providers are also partnering with the Department of Public Safety to incorporate trained clinical mental health providers in responding to well-being and safety calls. This program, envisioned by the DPS Community Advisory Board, addresses the call to incorporating mental health and supportive services into responses to community health and safety.
- The Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences is implementing a first-ever screening project for all new incoming students, the My Mental Health Assessment, which invites cohorts of USC students to take an assessment for conditions such as depression, anxiety, substance use disorder and suicidality. This tool will help connect students who have higher acuity to clinical services that can help them. This tool will help connect students to personalized recommendations based on their responses, including access to well-being apps, online modules, and individual or group therapy, as well as in-person or telehealth consultation.
- Student Health have has curated a library of guides geared for faculty who wish to lead discussions with students or weave in restorative, trauma-informed, and inclusive practices into their teaching materials.
- Please also keep in mind our campus partner resources such as the Office for Religious and Spiritual Life, Student Equity and Inclusion Programs; and The Campus Wellbeing & Crisis Intervention Office that provide extensive programming; and the Workwell Center that provides support for faculty and staff to find balance and well-being in their work at USC.
- As always, we value our partnership with our faculty and staff colleagues and encourage you to keep our 24/7 contact number available, if you should need to walk over a student experiencing a mental health crisis, 213-740-9355 (WELL). During the academic year, the mental health triage team is available on-site in-person at Engemann and Eric Cohen Student Health Centers to help students experiencing distress or thoughts of self-harm.
We appreciate the mentorship, wisdom, opportunities, and inspiration that you provide to our students every day, and we are here to work with you on supporting their opportunities to thrive at USC.
Sarah Van Orman, MD MMD FACHA; Chief Health Officer, USC Student Health, Keck Medicine of USC; Associate Vice Provost; Division Chief for College Health, Keck School of Medicine
Broderick Leaks, PhD, Director of Counseling and Mental Health Services, USC Student Health, Keck Medicine of USC; Vice Chair of College Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Steven Siegel, MD PhD, Franz Alexander Chair in Psychiatry, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC; Chief Mental Health and Wellness Officer for Keck Medicine of USC
