WSU partners with Mantra Health for 24/7 mental health resources
- Heather Harman
- Dec 9, 2024
- 2 min read
WINONA, Minn. (WXOW) -- Winona State University (WSU) is continuing to address mental health crisis on campus while giving students the tools needed for success.
According to recent data from the CDC, the United States is in a mental health crisis and it's affecting people of all ages.
There's been an increase of individuals facing a crisis, including at WSU.
"Our parents send us to college and we're supposed to be successful. Our support system expects us to be able to handle whatever the world throws at us. We're being taught, to be courageous, be brave and more than everything else - to be okay," WSI Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Life Dr. Denise McDowell said. "We get to a point in our lives where, perhaps, we get in an environment where people give us permission to actually say 'I'm not okay.'"
With this in mind, WSU has been rolling out resources for students and staff to utilize in times of need.
"We have a multitude of resources for our mental health starting with counseling services - which is highly utilized here on campus," Director of Counseling and Wellness Services Kateri Johnson said. "We have the peer-to-peer support program. So we have peer support in the residence halls."
What happens when these offices leave for the day, or a students faces a crisis at night or the weekend?
Through the Minnesota State System, WSU has partnered with Mantra Health to offer 24/7 mental health resources for students.
"Students can have up to 12 virtual tele-health services, so they can meet with a counselor virtually," Johnson said. "They can access 24/7 crisis. So they can contact a Winona State specific crisis-line and be connected to a trained crisis professional."
For those not looking to talk to a professional, Johnson said there is something similar to Reddit. Students can post what they're thinking on to the moderated page, and get help or support from their peers.
So far, more than 150 Winona State students have signed into the Mantra Health app, with around two dozen individuals signing up for a therapy session.
While this is a part of addressing the immediate problem, it's also giving these students the tools needed for life outside of college.
"We're trying to get ahead of this. We're trying to help students develop coping skills. It's at the top of the list right now because it addresses so many things that young people," McDowell said. "Adults and professionals for that matter, are dealing with when it comes to trauma and trauma related issues. Then, when they first show themselves, at what point are we comfortable talking about it?"
It's not just Winona State students that can use the Mantra Health app, anyone within the Minnesota State system can.
Students can even use it when they're studying abroad or while on a break.
Read the original story in full here.