September 5
NSCC supports student mental health and physical wellness
Mental Health concerns among college students have been on the rise for the past few
decades. In 2019, 87% of College students reported feeling overwhelmed, 85% felt mentally
exhausted, 66% felt overwhelming anxiety, and 56% felt things were hopeless (Geary,
Chris. The Growing Mental Health Crisis in Community Colleges. May 3, 2022, Blog).
The Pandemic added additional stressors leading to a national student mental health
crisis.
North Shore Community College students have not been immune to this crisis. Studies
on mental health of community college students have shown that financial insecurity,
first generation status, minoritized students, and single parents experienced major
stressors that affected their mental health adversely. Over the past few years, NSCC
faculty and staff have expressed concerns regarding our students' mental health. To
address this crisis and concern, I am pleased to announce that NSCC has initiated
a partnership with Lifeworks/MyStudentSupport (MySSP) to provide confidential, 24/7
mental health and wellness services to students via telehealth. Support will be available
in: English, Mandarin & Cantonese (simplified Chinese chat), Spanish and French.
NSCC's app from Lifeworks connects students with credentialed, Masters-level counselors
to help them successfully address cultural, physical, and mental health challenges
as they pursue their college education. Students can speak with a counselor in their
own native language and cultural context no matter where they are.
Starting Monday, September 5, 2022, students can download the free app from the Google
Play or Apple Store, or visit their website at https://myssp.app/ca/signup. This is how it will look in MyNorthshore portal:
In addition to providing anonymous mental health assessments, the App and website
contain many self-contained student well-being resources (articles, videos, podcasts)
along with access to Lift, a Virtual Fitness Trainer.
The service can also provide direct support to faculty and staff to work with students
in need by calling into MySSP Care Center 1-866-743-7732. (Please remember that to
reach out on a student’s behalf, you must have minimum verbal consent from the student.)
As we work to inform all of our students about this new service, I encourage you to
familiarize yourself with MySSP by downloading the App or visit it on MyNorthshore. Also, please consider including it in your syllabus
or email signature.
Additional Information and Resources:
This fall, we will be hiring two full-time positions—a director of wellness and student mental health and a mental health counselor—who will be responsible for the overall administrative and clinical oversight of student mental health/wellness and educational programs. Both positions will be housed under the Dean of Students.
Visit our Dean of Students website to access the resource to support student mental health and wellness guide for information
on who to contact in case of a student emergency.
Should you have questions or need more information, please contact Bonie Williamson, Dean of Students, at deanofstudents@northshore.edu.
Be Well,
Dr. Jennifer V. Mezquita, (she/her/ella)
Provost, Academic and Student Affairs