Creating a supportive mental health environment

Abstract

I would like to raise mental health awareness among faculty members within my department. I think there is generally a lack of awareness and advocacy for student mental health, particularly for graduate students. I would like to ask if you have specific advice on what I can do as a faculty member and what obstacles I should anticipate.—Anonymous assistant professor Welcome to the second half of a two-part Office Hours series tackling this difficult yet extremely important question. In last month's column, I proposed that faculty need to first take care of our own mental health so that we can lead by example and be prepared to help our students. Now that you've secured your own oxygen mask, you're ready to assist the person sitting next to you. Creating an environment that supports student mental health requires that we do three things: recognize the challenge, take action, and empower others.