New Mental Health Initiative Launched in Colleges Across Massachusetts

A new, novel mental health program has been launched at higher education institutions across Massachusetts, offering training to mental health counselors and spiritual care providers to serve students across the state.

Launched by the Ruderman Family Foundation and the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab (CIL), the project — Spiritual and Mental Health in Higher Education, for which a training curriculum was developed at and licensed from Mass General Brigham McLean Hospital — aims to significantly enhance the mental health support offered on college campuses. Up to 33 teams from participating Massachusetts institutions of higher education will be trained annually to offer these groups on their own campuses. The training and subsequent support group sessions will be completed over a period of two years.

More than 60% of college students in the U.S. meet the criteria for experiencing at least one mental health challenge during their time on campus, according to the most recent comprehensive study on this issue conducted by Healthy Minds. Another national survey, conducted by the National College Health Assessment, reported that almost three-quarters of students experience moderate or severe psychological distress.

“Many college students grapple with the invisible wounds that result from mental health challenges and lack the essential resources to help address them,” said Sharon Shapiro, Community Liaison and Trustee at the Ruderman Family Foundation. “So many students feel they are adrift as they lack the spiritual guidance on college campuses to navigate these challenges, especially when combined with the stresses of student life. It is our hope that this across-faith initiative will give students the practical and philosophical tools to address their struggles, providing them with purpose and meaning, while also working to destigmatize mental health issues. This is a model which has the potential to provide a paradigm that can be expanded and scaled in institutions of higher learning across the country.”

CIL launched in October 2018 at Brandeis University to bring chaplains, theological educators, clinical educators, and social scientists into dialogue about the work of chaplaincy and spiritual care. The current program was designed to address the growing mental health crisis in higher education by tapping into a resource that has been largely left underutilized: college chaplains. By giving them the tools they need to serve students, the project hopes to also address the high demand for counseling which often sees students on lengthy waiting lists. The Ruderman Family Foundation partnered with CIL on a pilot of this program in 2021 on the Brandeis University and Northeastern University campuses, and based on its success made the decision to expand.

The mental health professionals and chaplains participating in the program will undergo a four-week group counseling training program that is based on cognitive behavioral therapy and aims to serve some 250 students per year. The resulting support groups will welcome those of all spiritual-religious backgrounds, including those who claim no religious affiliation.

“This work will significantly raise the profile of spiritual care resources on college campuses,” said Professor Cadge, who is also the project’s principal investigator. “Spiritual care is often underutilized despite being prepared to serve all students of all backgrounds. This program brings spiritual care to the conversation on student mental health in a sustainable and accessible way.”

As such, the project will strengthen professional collaboration between spiritual care and mental healthcare providers on college campuses and build capacity for their continued collaborations to address student mental health. It will also extend the preventative resources available to students on campus, which are often less robust than the resources available to respond to student mental health issues, and significantly raise the profile of spiritual care resources on college campuses. Ultimately, the Ruderman Family Foundation and the CIL hope the success of the program will encourage more campuses, not only in Massachusetts but nationwide, to adapt such initiatives within their own chaplaincy programs and counseling centers.