Introduction
University mental health support centers are facing significant challenges, from overbooking to long waitlists, that impede their ability to provide timely and effective care to students. These centers, while crucial, often focus on emergency needs rather than ongoing support and behavior change. Additionally, universities struggle with funding and measuring the outcomes of their mental health services. To address these issues, a novel approach is proposed: providing “Gap Care” through cognitive behavioral coaching at the individual school level, targeting the highest stress and struggling programs.
What problems did we seek to solve?
Overburdened Mental Health Centers
University mental health support centers are overwhelmed, leading to:
+ Long Waitlists: Students often face significant delays in accessing mental health services.
+ Overbooked Staff: Mental health professionals are stretched thin, reducing the quality and effectiveness of care.
+ Emergency Focus: Current services prioritize immediate crises, neglecting ongoing support and preventative care.
+ Insufficient Follow-up: Clients don’t adhere to plans, and the therapist rarely follows up on post-therapy care plans.
Ineffective Measurement of Outcomes
Universities struggle to assess the effectiveness of their mental health programs:
+ Lack of Metrics: There is limited data on whether existing services truly benefit students.
+ Insufficient Follow-up: Post-therapy outcomes and long-term benefits are rarely tracked.
Financial Constraints
Universities face financial barriers in expanding their mental health services:
+ Limited Funding: Budgets are tight, making it difficult to hire additional mental health staff.
+ Resource Allocation: Funds are often diverted to other urgent needs, leaving mental health support underfunded.
Our Proposed Solution
Filling the Mental Heath Care Gap with Cognitive Behavioral Coaching for Students
Introducing cognitive behavioral coaching as a form of “Gap Care” can address these challenges by:
+ Filling Service Gaps: Providing support where university psychological services fall short.
+ Ongoing Support: Offering continuous, non-crisis-oriented care to help students develop coping strategies and resilience.
+ Behavior Change: Focusing on long-term behavior change rather than immediate crisis intervention.
Rather than Focus on the University Level, Focus on Individual School-Level Support
Targeting support at the individual school level, particularly in high-stress and struggling programs, ensures that:
+ Customized Care: Support is tailored to the specific needs of each school or program.
+ Increased Accessibility: Students in high-stress programs receive the attention they need without overwhelming central services.
Expected Outcomes: Immediately Enhancing Student Retention and Well-being
Higher than Expected Student Adoption and Engagement
+ 23% Adoption Rate (192 Students): A significant portion of the student population utilizes the new services.
+ 51% Content and App Usage: More than half of the users engage with digital content and apps.
+ 49% Coaching Sessions: Nearly half of the users participate in at least one coaching session.
Higher than Expected Student Enrollment and Satisfaction
+ 9.14/10 Recommendation Score: High satisfaction levels, with students likely to recommend the service to peers.
+ 100% Confidence in Coaches: All students express confidence in their coaches’ abilities.
+ 100% Positive Coaching Impact: Students believe that coaching activities will help them achieve their goals.
+ 100% Genuine Concern: Coaches are perceived as genuinely concerned for students’ welfare.
+ 100% Agreement on Goals: Coaches and students agree on important areas for improvement.
Higher than Expected Engagement and Face-to-Face Sessions
+ Average Engagement Every 4 Days: Regular interaction through messages, sessions, or app usage.
+ 4.92 Average Sessions Per Client: Students typically attend multiple coaching sessions.
+ 25.44 Minutes Average Session Duration: Sessions are long enough to provide meaningful support.
Improvement in Mental Health and Quality of Life
+ 19.20% Decrease in DASS Scores: There was a significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and stress scores over three reassessment periods.
+ 5.7% Increase in Quality of Life Scores: Notable improvement in students’ overall quality of life.
Client Story
$30,000+ Per Year Financial Savings to the University by Filling in the Gaps of a Therapist
+ Fewer therapists are needed. Therapists can serve more students in less time: The average salary for a university mental health therapist in the U.S. is approximately $64,325 per year. This figure can vary depending on factors such as location, experience, and specific university policies. Salaries typically range between $66,286 and $81,909 annually, with the median salary around $73,851.
+ By removing the need to support this University School with an additional therapist, we were able to save the university more than $30,000 per year.
+ Per session savings: This number does not include the session reduction savings. The Cognitive Behavioral Coaching session costs around $25-$45 per session, whereas the cost per session for therapy at a university typically ranges between $100 to $200. This cost can vary depending on factors such as the therapist’s level of experience, specialization, and the specific university or location. For those without insurance, the full cost is often out-of-pocket, but many universities offer sliding-scale rates based on income or reduced rates through training programs where clients work with supervised students.
Conclusion
The introduction of cognitive behavioral coaching as “Gap Care” addresses the critical issues faced by university mental health support centers. By targeting high-stress programs at the individual school level, this approach provides tailored, ongoing support that enhances student well-being and retention. The positive outcomes, including high adoption rates, student satisfaction, and improvements in mental health metrics, demonstrate the efficacy of this solution. Universities can leverage these insights to create more resilient, healthy, and successful student populations.
