A student participates in a painting activity during Fresh Check Day 2024

Mental health initiatives

SUNY Adirondack’s Counseling Center is committed to supporting the mental well-being of our campus community.
  1. Student Success
  2. Counseling Center
  3. Mental health initiatives
Counseling Center

Our mental wellness initiatives offer programs, events and resources designed to help students reduce stress, build resilience and maintain balance throughout the semester. Explore ways to care for your mental health and stay connected — because wellness is essential to student success.

Mental Health Advisory

The main role and function of the Advisory is to assess and advise on matters related to protecting the mental health of our faculty, staff and students. The Advisory will use the JED Campus strategic plan to guide its work. Contact Beth Braxton for more information.

 

JED Campus

What is JED Campus?

JED Campus is a national program by The Jed Foundation (JED) that supports schools through a four-year, collaborative process to enhance their systems, programs, and policies. With tailored guidance, it helps institutions strengthen their existing efforts in student mental health, substance use prevention, and suicide prevention. Visit jedcampus.org for more information.

The SUNY Adirondack and JED Campus Partnership

SUNY Adirondack has been dedicated to supporting the emotional well-being and mental health of all students. Our partnership with the JED Foundation has strengthened our capacity to drive meaningful, long-term systemic change within our campus community. SUNY Adirondack began its JED Campus partnership in 2022.
As a JED Campus, SUNY Adirondack benefited from:

  • A personalized strategic plan to further develop a variety of objectives, including:
    • Promoting social connectedness
    • Screening opportunities
    • Mental health training
    • Help-seeking behavior
    • Leave policies
    • Coordination and access to care
    • Substance misuse support
    • Postvention protocols and emergency response
    • Access to a dedicated JED Campus advisor, along with clinicians and staff specializing in campus mental health, who collaborated to strengthen existing initiatives in emotional well-being, substance use prevention, and suicide prevention
    • Participation in the JED Campus Learning Community — a network of JED Campus schools that shared experiences and strategies related to overall student well-being
    • Access to an in-depth online resource library
    • Use of the JED Campus membership seal to signify our commitment to student well-being

 

Our JED Campus timeline

  • SUNY Adirondack joined the JED Campus Initiative using Federal ARP (American Rescue Plan) funds.
  • The JED Campus Team, including team leads, was identified.
  • SUNY Adirondack began the JED Campus process, administering the Healthy Minds Survey to students and employees, and completing the comprehensive self-assessment.
  • The JED Campus advisor, along with subject matter experts, visited SUNY Adirondack to better understand the campus culture, assess the needs of students, and identify institutional strengths and challenges.
  • SUNY Adirondack received the Healthy Minds Survey data and the JED Campus Strategic Plan.
  • JED Team Leads created subgroups with a variety of campus stakeholders (many of whom were members of the JED Campus Team) to systematically address items in the Strategic Plan.
  • JED Campus Team Leads presented the Healthy Minds Survey data and Strategic Plan to institutional leadership.
  • The JED Campus Team began meeting to develop an implementation plan.
  • JED working groups began addressing identified objectives in the Strategic Plan. Notable progress included:
    • Implementation of HIPAA-compliant Titanium software to more effectively track counseling utilization data
    • Launch of “Let’s Talk” drop-in hours by the Counseling Division at various campus locations
    • Partnership with Protocall to provide after-hours crisis support for students
    • Contracting with Glens Falls Hospital to procure a campus nurse

Additional efforts included:

  • Regular publication of the Counseling and Health and Wellness newsletter
  • Ongoing student surveys to assess interest in specific Health and Wellness programs
  • Partnership with the Council for Prevention, including SBIRT training
  • Incorporation of CUDIT and AUDIT screenings into Counseling Division intakes
  • Inclusion of mental health resources in acceptance materials for incoming students and families
  • Counseling Faculty presentations at academic division meetings on available mental health resources
  • Installation of “Mental Health Stations” at the entrance of every campus building with newsletters, resources, and wellness-related materials
  • Collaboration between Counseling and the Media Arts program to create posters de-stigmatizing mental health, displayed during a mental health fair and in campus offices

Highlights included:

  • Implementation of the first Fresh Check Day, in collaboration with departments and student clubs
  • Development of the “Blue Folder,” a digital resource hub for employees supporting student mental health
  • Partnership with People Inc.’s Rose House to provide after-hours support for students
  • Creation of the Mental Health Advocates program, engaging students and employees in suicide prevention and mental health literacy; includes suicide prevention, trauma informed response and recognizing problem gambling

 

  • Second administration of the Healthy Minds Survey and completion of the comprehensive self-assessment
  • Formation of the Mental Health Advisory Group to sustain JED initiatives beyond the formal partnership

SUNY Adirondack is expected to receive the JED Campus executive summary from the JED Campus advisor