SUU Adds Additional Mental Health Services

Posted: April 04, 2022 | Author: Kate Johnson | Read Time: 3 minutes

Southern Utah University is striving to do more to assist students with their mental health and overall wellbeing. In a sincere and transparent email, Vice President for Student Affairs Jared Tippets addressed students about the mental health resources available to them at SUU and what changes are to come.

SUU Adds More Mental Health Services

"We care about you and are worried about you," wrote Tippets. "We know that mental health is a challenge for many of us. SUU has many existing mental health resources and we are working on adding more. Please reach out if you are struggling, and we'll do our best to assist you and point you in the right direction. Never struggle in silence. You are not alone!"

Being aware of the many challenges students face, SUU wants to do more to assist students and is working diligently to create additional services. Such services include the new student medical clinic which will act like a typical doctor's office to provide basic health services on campus and is estimated to be available to all students by the fall of 2022. Additionally, SUU has convened a mental health task force of faculty, staff, and students. This task force is working on a campus-wide strategy to address mental health needs.

Another change is the addition of counselors in the Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) office. There will also be a shorter wait time for students to talk with a counselor. SUU is able to accomplish this by partnering with a national company to provide access to counselors virtually.

An additional partnership comes in the form of offering students virtual and anonymous mental health support. This partnership will provide 24/7 support for all students in a safe and online environment managed by the clinical community.

To aid with the University's ongoing efforts concerning mental health, the Marketing and Communication Office will provide additional communication to students concerning the mental health resources and services available to them. To aid in making a culture that is sensitive to mental health needs, faculty, staff and student leaders will receive training in order to better guide students to the appropriate services on campus.

Additionally, SUU's Orientation and Thunder U will focus on mental health by helping new students to understand the resources on campus as well as in an effort to normalize talking about mental health.

SUU has launched its first doctorate degree in psychology to help train professional therapists. The program hopes to reduce the stigma around mental health and will specialize in mental health training in rural areas. The first cohort of students begins next fall semester. As part of the program, the graduate students will assist in mental health services across campus.

There are mental health resources available to students on campus, as well as at the local, state, and national levels.

SUU Campus Resources & Services

Local Resources

Local Hotlines and Resources (Iron County and Cedar City)

Statewide Hotlines and Resources

  • SafeUT: 1-833-372-3388 or text chat via the SafeUT app
  • Huntsman Mental Health Institute Warmline: 833-773-2588 or 801-587-1055
  • Utah Crisis Line: 800-273-8255 or 801-587-3000
  • Utah Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-897-5465

National Hotlines and Resources

SUU aims for consistent improvement and is highly committed to helping all students as much as it can. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please reach out to someone you trust, or use any of the resources listed above.

This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

Tags: Student Life CAPS

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