As the need for mental health support surges at college campuses, Miami Regionals E-campus is arming scores of faculty and staff with the confidence and know-how to act as first responders, thanks to training funded by a Hawk Tank grant of more than $6,000.

According to data from the Healthy Minds Network, nearly 60 percent of college students meet the criteria for one or more mental health problems — up from 40 percent in 2013.

Erica Crawford, microcredential program manager at E-Campus, was awarded more than $6,000 to certify 100 Regionals faculty and staff in Mental Health First Aid by Miami WOMEN’s Giving Circle. The group of alumnae pools donations and votes to fund projects through a “fast pitch” event called Hawk Tank.

Crawford understands the importance of mental health support, especially in recent years. “As we all go through the COVID-19 pandemic, we're all struggling a little bit,” she said. 

Though the occurrence of mental health problems has increased dramatically in recent years, many still do not seek help. Only 40 percent of the students who reported depression or anxiety in the last 12 months received counseling from a health professional, the Healthy Minds Study reports.

“It is 2022 and we’re still trying to combat a lot of the stigmas around mental health,” Crawford added.

The Mental Health First Aid certification, administered by the National Council for Mental Wellness, is designed to remove some of those stigmas and make mental health resources more readily available.

The full-day training empowers participants to identify mental health and substance abuse challenges in others and trains them on responding effectively.

This is important on college campuses. In a pilot study from the Healthy Minds Network, 80 percent of faculty surveyed had been involved in a one-on-one conversation with a student about mental health in the past 12 months.

And though 75 percent of those faculty said they would reach out to a student who they believed was in distress, only half of them felt that they knew how to recognize it.

Training will be offered to staff, faculty and students both in-person and virtually throughout the 2022-2023 school year, thanks to the Hawk Tank grant. Register for a training.