UK Awarded JedCampus Seal for Comprehensive Mental Health Programming on Campus
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 1, 2013) — The University of Kentucky has been awarded the JedCampus Seal from The Jed Foundation, a leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college and university students. The seal recognizes schools that exhibit comprehensive mental health promotion and suicide prevention programming on campus. It is part of the foundation’s JedCampus program, the first nationwide program to facilitate a school’s ability to assess and enhance their mental health support system from a campus-wide perspective.
With award of the JedCampus Seal, UK is among the first colleges and universities in the nation to be recognized for comprehensive mental health programming on campus.
"The highly respected national nonprofit Jed Foundation's recognition of the University of Kentucky’s efforts in providing comprehensive, community-based services and interventions for our student community is both exciting and gratifying," said Linda K. Hellmich, assistant director and clinical director of the UK Counseling Center. "We feel honored to be among the handful of universities who receive the JedCampus Seal, which recognizes both our commitment to and successes with supporting students and reducing suicide risk in our community. UK’s suicide prevention efforts, for the past 10 years, have been supported by the Graham Memorial Fund which honors the family’s two sons – one who died in military service and one who died in his war with depression, and we wish to express gratitude again for the Graham family’s support.”
As part of the process to earn the JedCampus Seal, the UK Counseling Center took a voluntary, online self-assessment reviewing its campus mental health and suicide prevention programming. The Jed Foundation then compared the UK's responses to the recommended practices outlined in The Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention on College and University Campuses developed by The Jed Foundation and Suicide Prevention Resource Center. As part of this process, UK received confidential feedback designed to help enhance its programming and resources. The seal is valid for two years.
“We are thrilled to be able to announce the first schools in the nation to receive the JedCampus Seal. Schools like the University of Kentucky have shown they employ a comprehensive, community-based approach to mental health care which will result in the identification of and care for more at-risk students,” said John MacPhee, executive director of The Jed Foundation. “We believe that the implementation of a campus-wide approach to mental health promotion will lead to safer, healthier campuses, and possibly greater student retention.”
Leading higher education and mental health professional organizations including the American College Counseling Association, American College Health Association, National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, among others, have provided statements of support for the JedCampus initiative.
For more information on JedCampus, visit www.jedcampus.org. For more information about the UK Counseling Center, visit www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Counseling.
The University of Kentucky Counseling Center, part of the UK Division of Student Affairs, provides confidential psychological counseling to currently enrolled UK students and consultation services to currently enrolled UK students, UK faculty and staff, and caregivers. The Counseling Center seeks to provide a space for students to explore freely any personal problems or concerns they may not wish to share with family or friends. The Counseling Center offers short term counseling and therapy to support students' growth and assist students with mental health, academic and/ or other personal concerns that might interfere with academic performance or a sense of personal well-being while at UK. Services include individual, couple, and group counseling; major and career counseling; and outreach programming.
The Jed Foundation programs include: JedCampus, a self-assessment and feedback program designed to help colleges enhance mental health programming; ULifeline, an online mental health resource that gives students access to campus-specific resources and an anonymous mental health screener; Half of Us, the Peabody Award-winning campaign with mtvU, which uses online and on-air programming to decrease stigma and encourage help-seeking; Love is Louder, a movement to build connectedness and increase resiliency; Transition Year, an online resource aimed at helping to ensure the smooth, safe and healthy transition of teenagers from high school to college; and a portfolio of resources that helps campuses promote mental health and protect at-risk students. Learn more at www.jedfoundation.org.