Grad students embed in colleges to improve student mental health

Second-year master’s degree students at the UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work are required to complete two semesters of fieldwork to gain hands-on experience.  

For many years, students have been sent to Chicago-area hospitals, the Veterans Health Administration and mental health clinics.

Now, UIC is also a “client” thanks to a $4.5 million commitment to improve resources for student mental health, which included investing in a dedicated social work trainee field unit from Jane Addams College of Social Work.

Pamela Brown, director of field education for the Jane Addams College of Social Work, said the addition of UIC as a destination for fieldwork students had been discussed even before the COVID-19 pandemic began. However, the mental toll of the pandemic, particularly on students, accelerated the dialogue. 

“Creating departmental fieldwork was a conversation for many years, and we saw after the pandemic the increased needs of the students to receive services,” Brown said. “That’s when this became more urgent and there was a focus.” 

Beginning as a pilot program in the fall semester of 2023, the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs; the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts; the School of Public Health; and the College of Education were assigned second-year master’s degree students tasked with becoming the first line of defense as a mental health resource for students in the college or school.  

Zeynep Sarlak, who spent the academic year working in the College of Education, said having faculty and staff recommend students who could benefit from support shows the need for embedded counselors in each unit.  

“I’m an advocate of this program, and I think it should be expanded,” Sarlak said. “It’s such an important program. Some students were at the brink of dropping out, and you just hold them somehow. Because you’re in their system, you’re in their own space. It makes a huge difference.”  

During the last academic year, Isaias Ponpa was assigned to work with College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs students as a mental health and wellness professional. 

“A common theme that students and staff share with me is that they’re extremely grateful that this role exists,” Ponpa said. 

Graduate students assigned to the colleges act as a hybrid of a case manager and a Counseling Center mental health professional in training. In addition to counseling students who need mental health care, these wellness specialists prepare presentations for their assigned colleges. These presentations, at least two from each wellness specialist each semester, have included topics such as preparing for exams, good social media habits, managing procrastination and introductions to student mental health resources on campus. 

They can help students access immediate support throughout campus and their individual colleges, mediate concerns between roommates or with professors and address mental health challenges. They also direct students experiencing food or housing insecurity to on-campus and off-campus resources. 

Raphael Florestal-Kevelier, associate vice chancellor for student health and wellbeing, said each year, the university learns more about how to expand the program.

“What we’re learning is also what infrastructure is needed for an embedded therapist model and who might be supported by social work training,” Florestal-Kevelier said. “Because what happens when somebody has needs that extend beyond what a student can immediately cover? We want to make sure there’s a process for referring them back into the Counseling Center through their supervisor, who’s the licensed clinical social worker.” 

Many students used the wellness specialists for full-time mental health care throughout the school year, scheduling as many as 15 or 20 sessions for ongoing services. By the end of the second semester, wellness specialists can provide what they term “a soft handoff” to the Counseling Center for services needed beyond the academic year.  

“I feel like as the program grows, we’re continuing to work more and more closely with the Counseling Center to provide training and casework needs,” Brown said. 

Ponpa and Jacob Nathan, who worked with College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts students, said the program has also helped their career goals. Both hope to work with young adults after graduation; Nathan has already secured a role in a private practice.  

Nathan credits the program as being “a phenomenal introduction to working more closely with young adults.” 

Sarlak and Staci Root, the wellness specialist at the School of Public Health, had careers outside of social work before pursuing their master’s degrees at UIC.  

Root said she used her experience in graphic design to make setting appointments to see her easier for students. 

“I’m making posters and flyers and pamphlets, doing the things that remind students, ‘Hey, I’m here for you,’” said Root, who added a QR code to all of her posters and emails. “It’s also a great way for students to set up an appointment and they don’t experience stigmatization. It’s private, it’s confidential, it’s a QR code.” 

Ponpa said the program provides availability, accessibility and affordability for students who may find barriers to mental health care elsewhere.  

“We’re here three days a week, so we have availability,” Ponpa said. “We’re in their college — I’m right in the CUPPA offices — so there’s accessibility. And we don’t charge, so there’s no worry if we fit into an insurance plan or if there’s an ability to pay.”