Dear Roaring Lion Editorial Team: 

Within the Pennsylvania State University (as well as higher education as a whole), the expanding student mental health crisis continues to be a consistent point of conversation for both mental health professionals as well as institutional administration. However, despite obvious advancements, such as the nationwide increase of students seeking treatment (from 19% to 34% in the last decade), there are undeniably many gaps left regarding the efficacy of models of mental health care on college campuses. As of data published this year, nearly 40% of college students nationwide report some form of significant mental health concern; these studies are not isolated in their findings of increased severity, complexity, and frequency of mental health concerns within student communities. It is with this concern in mind that I present a new concept of student-run software that facilitates peer counselling for low-risk stressors pertaining to academia and life more generally. 

Here, at Penn State, we have various resources available to students who may be struggling with various mental health concerns, primarily through in-person counseling and psychiatric options. In specific to Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus; Amanda Collins can be contacted for mental health counselling appointments with individual students, and she works in close collaboration with campus nurse Ronette Poorbaugh towards a common goal of student health and welfare. However, many of the gaps of treatment within this model are becoming more present as the demand for mental health resources increases across campuses, as well as here at the Pennsylvania State University; these treatment limitations can be the coordination of resources necessary for full integration, allotment of these resources, effective communication to students what resources are available to them, and the extensive resource demand associated with in-person care. It is increasingly more important that mental care models innovate technology that can reduce the resource strain, most of which burdens campuses, by way of siphoning cases based on severity and need. 

Within PSU resources, we do offer forms of technologically based mental health care to students already: an example is WellTrack, though, this only goes based on programmed modules. In truth, my proposed software would hold a structure like the “Ask A Librarian” online chat, except in this case, select social sciences students would directly peer-counsel other students experiencing low risk concern(s). For elaboration, the operating social sciences students would be trained in tactics of crisis management and referral to higher forms of mental healthcare within the university when necessary; generally, however, the day-to-day interaction would concern the low-risk stressors many students experience as they navigate higher education: class anxieties, family tension, or midterm stress. 

Through utilizing this proposed mental health software, not only is there the promotion of student engagement, an effective streamline of resources, and the professional development of social sciences students’ communicative abilities; but, there is also an increased accessibility to low-risk students not seeking full-time care, and likewise the increased utilization of costly in-person resources on more physiological impacting disorders (such as substance abuse, eating disorders, or self-harm tendencies). Together, as the Pennsylvania State University, we can better utilize our student skills and technological innovation in a way that not only complements existing models of mental health care treatment at Penn State, but that best addresses the issue on the basis of individual need, and ultimately continues the conversation on solving the college student mental health calamity nationwide.  

Sincerely,

Maggi M. Bubonovich

| Class of 2025 | Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus