Thursday, Jul 6, 2023
Grant will expand and complement mental health services for marginalized students
by Rachel Stengel '14, '20
A new grant will allow 小优视频 to expand its mental health-related services for students. The University received the Mental Health in Higher Education: Community Provider Partnerships Grant from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.
The nearly $200,000 grant will be distributed over a three year period and will support new community partnerships and other professional development opportunities to extend Rider鈥檚 existing mental health services. With a recent 32% increase in student demand for mental health services, the grant will be critical to addressing students鈥 needs.
鈥淭his grant allows us to continue to advance Rider鈥檚 commitment to inclusive excellence by extending and deepening services for marginalized students,鈥 says Dr. Leanna Fenneberg, vice president for Student Affairs. 鈥淲e are proud to work with local community partners and help increase our community鈥檚 understanding of mental health and well-being 鈥 a foundation for success for all students.鈥
Through the grant, Rider will expand mental health services for specific populations that research has identified as needing additional support, including LGBTQIA+ students, student-athletes, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and neurodiverse students.
To increase support for these groups, Rider is creating partnerships with local professionals and organizations such as the PRIDE Center, which provides an array of LGBTQIA+ affirming services; Womanspace, a local nonprofit that provides a comprehensive array of services to individuals and families impacted by domestic and sexual violence; the Kinney Center for Autism Education & Support; and a sports psychologist. The grant will support mental health services for needs that extend beyond campus capacity, including individual counseling, group therapy, trainings, presentations and workshops with the partner organizations, as well as student travel to and from the partner locations.
Mental health and well-being becomes a community concern when we involve as many people as possible.鈥
Professional development is another key component of the grant. Rider will create a new peer educator student leadership program to train undergraduate students as student educators. The effectiveness of peer-led education is already evident, says Dr. A.L. Moody, director of Rider鈥檚 Counseling Center, as Rider鈥檚 student-led Outreach team has been leading mental health and wellness programming for the campus community for a number of years. Through the new peer educator student leadership program, additional student educators will help the Counseling Center broaden its reach and educate the community on a wider variety of topics.
鈥淢ental health and well-being becomes a community concern when we involve as many people as possible,鈥 says Moody. 鈥淲e have to offer opportunities to connect within the community, spaces to share with peers and experiences where one can feel accepted and seen.鈥
Additionally, the Counseling Center staff will have the opportunity to attend a professional conference and provide training for students, staff and faculty about sexual assault/domestic violence, LGBTQIA+ individuals and the mental health needs of student-athletes.