University campuses are hotbeds of mental health concerns,聽. But the demand for counseling services often outstrips capacity, according to聽.
At the University of North Carolina (黑料网) in Chapel Hill, students seeking mental health support are frequently referred to providers off campus. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that they can鈥檛 get treatment; they certainly can. 鈥� But it鈥檚 also not easy to set up,鈥� says Jean Cook, an associate dean of graduate education at 黑料网 who oversees the university鈥檚 biological and biomedical sciences Ph.D. program. Students have to arrange transportation, and for grad students there鈥檚 an added layer of complexity because they may have to explain why they need to take multiple hours out of their day to travel to an appointment off campus, she adds.
To get around that issue and to provide more specialized help for graduate students, Cook helped spearhead a novel solution: In 2017, 黑料网鈥檚 medical school hired Alli Schad鈥攁 mental health counselor who is entirely dedicated to serving biomedical Ph.D. students and medical students. At first, administrators thought that they鈥檇 see a surge of pent up need that would taper off over the course of a few months, Cook says. But the demand didn鈥檛 subside, so in April the school hired a second counselor.
Science聽Careers spoke with Schad about what her job entails and what she鈥檚 learned about the mental health needs of Ph.D. students. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: What are some of the more common mental health issues that you see?
A:聽I work a lot with students who are experiencing anxiety and depression, as well as students who are concerned about their peers鈥� mental health and how to support them. When I started the job, I did a needs assessment鈥攚hich involved surveying our biomedical Ph.D. students about their issues and what kind of support they wanted鈥攁nd found that, of the 195 who responded, 56% of our students were experiencing anxiety and 59% were suffering from depression.
I haven鈥檛 taken a look at the top reasons students come in, but I can tell you about certain themes that come up. One is concerns with PIs [principal investigators]鈥攆or instance, how to deal with different personalities and how to navigate expectations, set expectations, or clarify expectations.
Grad school can be challenging because it鈥檚 so different from the undergraduate experience. When you鈥檙e an undergrad, the path is really laid out for you; it鈥檚 clear what you have to do next to meet your goals. When you embark on a graduate program, it鈥檚 a lot more ambiguous and students sometimes struggle because they don鈥檛 have a set timeline.
Another big one involves learning how to navigate having a professional life and a personal life. There鈥檚 this implicit or explicit notion in academia that you must be working all the time. It鈥檚 not uncommon for students to be in the lab 60 hours a week, but it鈥檚 important to be able to take a break. They鈥檙e not automatons; they鈥檙e not just data producing machines. They鈥檙e human beings. And there鈥檚 so much more to life than work.
What I tell them is: When we take time to address other parts of our life that feed us鈥攖hat bring us joy, that bring us contentment, that bring us a sense of peace鈥攚e can more fully show up for work, and we can be more OK with working when we鈥檙e there. I鈥檓 a huge fan of being able to hit the pause button and attend to other things that are important in your life. I think it鈥檚 absolutely vital.
Q: Why do you think it鈥檚 helpful to have someone in your position鈥攕omeone who is embedded within a graduate program?
A:聽One reason is accessibility. We were intentional about putting my office in a location that鈥檚 very convenient to students, so they can just pop in, and it doesn鈥檛 take a lot of extra time away from their day. I think that makes a big difference.
I鈥檓 also really familiar with the program. I know what students are experiencing at different points of their education, and what the main triggers are for stress. A generalist provider might have amazing counseling skills, but they might not understand the demands of grad school or where Ph.D. students can go to find extra help. For instance, if a student is grappling with what career they want to pursue, I鈥檒l point them to the office of graduate education鈥檚 career resources; someone else might not know they exist.
I鈥檇 also say: Why not invest in people who are admitted to a program? When students are healthier mentally, they鈥檙e more likely to finish their program and to engage with their work and be more productive. I would dare to say that, in the end, hiring someone like me would probably save a program money.
Q: Some students may be hesitant to see a counselor because of potential stigma. Do students ever worry about seeking help from someone who is in their building, or who they might otherwise see at work? Is that ever awkward?
A:聽My office is tucked away in a little spot where people essentially won鈥檛 be outed鈥攖hey won鈥檛 feel as if they鈥檙e seen; we were very careful about that. At the same time, people know me through things other than individual counseling, such as leading workshops and meeting with faculty and staff. When I walk down the hall, students almost always say hi. But of course, the work that I do is confidential, and it鈥檚 important that it remains confidential. So if students avoid eye contact, which sometimes they do, that鈥檚 totally OK too. It鈥檚 up to them.
Q: What advice do you have for readers who might be on the fence about whether they should go see a counselor, who aren鈥檛 sure whether their particular issue is serious enough to merit seeking outside help?
A:聽If you think maybe you should see a counselor, go ahead and see a counselor. Give it a chance and see if it鈥檚 a good fit. There鈥檚 really nothing to lose in that, and it鈥檚 better than suffering through something alone.
Mental health has been stigmatized. But one thing that I have found helpful is when people go back to their labs after meeting with me and talk to other people about it. And then there鈥檚 this snowball effect, where their lab mates come and meet with me to seek support. I think that鈥檚 helpful for changing the culture of addressing mental health.
Q: You mentioned that you meet with faculty members as well. What do you discuss with them?
A:聽Part of my job is to advocate on behalf of student mental health. Sometimes it takes an outsider to bring awareness to see what鈥檚 happening within one鈥檚 home. And I have been welcomed at the table to provide feedback, as well as to make suggestions.
When we think about supporting student mental health, it鈥檚 important to not just put the burden on the student and say there鈥檚 something wrong with your mental health; we鈥檒l give you the support to address it. That鈥檚 great鈥攂ut it鈥檚 also important to think about the culture that we鈥檙e perpetuating. Our mental health isn鈥檛 just something in and of us鈥攊t comes from the environment we鈥檙e in and the experiences that we have.
Having conversations is a good way to change culture. For instance, the high work demands that are part of science have been long standing, and they speak very much to the dedication of scientists. But I also wonder: At what cost? Part of my job is to open up conversations about those kinds of things, to ask, 鈥淒o we have to perpetuate a culture that negatively impacts the mental health of people within the system? Or is it possible to make small changes to better support people?鈥�
Story courtsey of , the associate editor for聽Science Careers. July 11, 2019.