College Mental Health 101 A Guide for Students, Parents, and Professionals

With a growing number of students entering college with an existing mental health diagnosis, College Mental Health 101 offers hope and clear direction to those struggling with mental illness.

There is an undeniable mental health crisis on campuses these days. More students are anxious, depressed, drinking, and self-harming than ever before. The statistics are startling: 50% of mental health issues begin by age 14, 75% by age 24, while suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults. And yet even while more students are struggling, more students than ever are breaking through stigma, seeking help, and sharing openly in person and social media about their challenges.

College Mental Health 101 offers more answers, relief, resources, and research backed information for families, students, and staff already at college or beginning the application process. With simple charts and facts, informal self-assessments, quick tips for students and those who support them, the book includes hundreds of voices addressing common concerns. Basics like picking and contacting a therapist, knowing your rights, disclosing to friends and family, advice on medication and time off, are all covered in brief digestible sections. The book also offers support and understanding to families and friends of struggling students who are often uncertain of where else to turn for expert advice. Packed with hundreds of expert and student voices, three diverse experts in the field have assembled the right resources at the right time.

Christopher Willard is a clinical psychologist, author, and consultant based in Massachusetts. He has spoken in over thirty five countries, and has presented at two TEDx events. He is the author of twenty books, including Alphabreaths (2019), Growing Up Mindful (2016) and How we Grow Through What we Go Through (2022). His thoughts on mental health have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, mindful.org, cnn.com, and elsewhere. He teaches at Harvard Medical School.

Blaise Aguirre is a child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is a trainer in, and specializes in, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) as well as other treatments such as mentalization-based treatment (MBT) for borderline personality disorder and associated conditions. He is the founding medical director of 3East continuum of care, an array of programs for teens and young adults that uses DBT to target self-endangering behaviors as well as the symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits. Dr. Aguirre has been a staff psychiatrist at McLean Hospital since 2000 and is nationally and internationally recognized for his extensive work in the treatment of mood and personality disorders in adolescents. He lectures regularly throughout the world.

Chelsie Green is a psychotherapist and holistic wellness practitioner who works in private practice. She specializes in working with young adults and the BIPOC community. Her work in private practice blends an assortment of evidence-based practices with holistic and unconventional methods. Previously, she worked as Mental Health Educator at Wesleyan University, and as a counselor in a men's correctional facility on Rikers Island. Ms. Green holds a Master of Social Work from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University.