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JED Initiative at Mitchell College

JED: Protecting the Emotional Health of Teens and Young Adults

JED Campus is a non-profit nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation (JED). This signature program guides schools through a collaborative process of comprehensive systems, program, and policy development with customized support to build upon existing student mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention efforts.

Learn more about JED and its supports HERE.

Bringing JED to Mitchell College

In Fall 2022, Mitchell College embarked on a four-year commitment with the JED Campus organization.

This strategic partnership with JED will assess and enhance existing work and help to create positive, lasting, systemic change in the campus community. An interdisciplinary, campus-wide team leads the process to assess, support, and implement improvements.

Simply put: Throughout the four-year commitment, Mitchell College will look at everything we do to support student, faculty, and staff mental health , and establish concrete ways to improve our efforts.

The JED Comprehensive Approach

JED Campus believes in a comprehensive, public health approach to promoting emotional well-being and preventing suicide and serious substance misuse. This model is used to assess efforts currently made on campus, identifying existing strengths and areas for improvement. 

JED built upon its comprehensive approach in 2017 by developing the Equity in Mental Health Framework, in partnership with The Steve Fund, which provides 10 recommendations and implementation strategies to help colleges and universities better support the mental health of students of color. 

1. Develop Life Skills

Supporting life skills education is valuable in teaching healthy ways to cope with the stress of college life. Some of the life skills that are important to a student’s well-being include managing friendships and relationships, problem solving, decision making, identifying and managing emotions, healthy living, and finding life purpose, meaning and identity.

2. Promote Social Connectedness

Research has shown that loneliness and isolation are significant risk factors for mental health problems and/or suicidal behavior. Therefore, supportive social relationships and feeling connected to campus, family and friends are protective factors that can help lower risk.

3. Identify Students at Risk

It is important to take action to identify students at risk for mental health problems and/or suicidal behavior and to promote emotional health awareness among those who interact with students the most. The “gatekeepers,” such as residence hall staff, academic advisors, faculty, and even fellow students, are vital for for the campus community to recognize and refer a student who might be in distress.

4. Increase Help-Seeking Behavior

Many students who need help may be reluctant or unsure of how to seek it out. Obstacles to help-seeking include lack of awareness of mental health services, skepticism about the effectiveness of treatment, prejudices associated with mental illness and uncertainty about costs or insurance coverage. Campuses should engage in a variety of activities designed to increase the likelihood that a student in need will seek help.

5. Provide Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

It is essential to offer accessible, consistent, and high-quality mental health services to students. To make mental health and substance abuse care more comprehensive, it should include:

  • strong and flexible services
  • adequate staffing levels
  • staff diversity reflective of the student population
  • flexibility in treatment approaches
  • clinic hours that are reflective of student schedules

Since most college clinics are free, the length of treatment is often limited. Therefore, it is important that campus mental health services can assist students in finding off-campus resources that can provide long-term care if needed.

6. Follow Crisis Management Procedures

The campus should have access to a well-publicized 24/7 crisis phone and/or chat line, either through campus resources or local/national services. There should be a process in place to share information (as legally appropriate) between local ERs and school health and/or counseling services.

7. Restrict Access to Potentially Lethal Means

It has been well established that if the means to self-harm are removed or limited in an environment, it can prevent suicide and even limit accidental deaths. This is called “means restriction.” Limiting students’ access to weapons, poisonous chemicals, rooftops, windows, or other high places are all means restriction activities. Each campus should do an environmental scan for potential access to lethal or dangerous means. 

Implementation Timeline

The JED Campus initiative at Mitchell College is funded by a generous grant from the state of Connecticut. Work through this grant began in the 2022-23 academic year and will continue through the 2025-26 academic year.

Year 1

Completed Activities

  • Assessment
  • Built an interdisciplinary team to steer efforts across campus
  • Administered Healthy Minds Study student survey
  • Completed the JED Campus self-assessment
  • Strategic Planning
  • JED reviewed assessment responses and provided feedback
  • JED consultants visited Mitchell College to discuss feedback with the team and strategies for consideration

Years 2 and 3

Activities Underway

  • Implementation
  • Team and JED collaborating to develop a strategic plan
  • JED Campus Advisor provides ongoing technical assistance to support implementation of the strategic plan
  • JED Campus Playbook serves as an easy reference guide for team
  • JED Campus tracks and communicates team progress against the strategic plan
  • Learning Community Participation
  • Discussion board conversations provide team opportunities cross-collaborate with other JED Campuses nationwide
  • Webinars provide deeper insight into best practice
  •  JED Campus Newsletters inform team about emerging stories, resources and events to strengthen the work being done

Year 4

Future Activities

  • Evaluation
  • Mitchell College administers the second Healthy Minds Study
  • The team completes the JED Campus post-assessment
  • JED provides a summary analysis report on school progress
  • Sustainability
  • JED offers guidance on continuing the work of the team
  • The team sets goals for future growth and improvement
  • Mitchell College joins the alumni community of JED Campus

 

Stay Tuned for Updates

We will provide periodic updates to keep the campus community informed of our progress. To learn more, see the list of JED Committee contacts.

JED By the Numbers

JED Campus has worked with more than 370 colleges and universities across the nation. JED’s work with colleges and universities has positively impacted a total of 4.8 million students across the nation.

370 College Partners

4.8M Students Impacted

JED Initiative, Mitchell College

JED Committee Chairs

JED Initiative, Mitchell College

Jennifer “Jen” Mauro, M.S.
Associate Professor
Duques Center
mauro_j@mitchell.edu
860-701-7719 

JED Initiative, Mitchell College

Gizelle Tircuit, Ph.D., L.P.C.
Director of Health and Wellness

Health Clinic
tircuit_g@mitchell.edu
860-701-5103

JED Initiative, Mitchell College

Alicia Martinez, Ed.D., M.S.O.L.
Dean, Student Experience and Belonging;
Chief Student Affairs Officer
Duques Center
860-701-7708
martinez_a@mitchell.edu

JED Campus Committee 

Faculty and Staff Committee

  •   Wayne Ford
  •   Elizabeth O’Hara
  •   Michele Sinusas 
  •  Christina Kydd, HR

Student Representatives

2023-2024

  • Thomas Simmons, SGA president
  • Mia Lopata, student athlete
  • Sabrina Bloise, Commuter Student Representative
  • Christina Thompson, Residence Assistant

2022-2023

  • Thomas Simmons, Mitchell Mental Health Club
  • Nia Gethers, student
  • Ryan DeCosta, student
  • Christina Thompson, Student Fellow

 

HOTLINES & TEXTLINES

National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Text 988

L&M Crisis: (860) 271-4271

SECT Mental Health Authority Crisis Response: (860) 886-9302

National Suicide Crisis Line:
(800) 273-TALK (800-273-8255)
Text CONNECT to 741741

National Eating Disorders Helpline:
(800) 931-2237; Text NEDA to 741741

Safe Futures 24-Hour Hotline (Domestic and/or Sexual Violence): (888) 774-2900

New London Police:
Emergencies: 911
Non-Emergencies: (860) 447-5269

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