Salem State Expands Mental Health Services With Nearly $300K In Grants

SALEM, MA — Salem State University will use nearly $300,000 in new grants to expand mental health and wellness services for its student body.

A $134,000 grant from the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation will go to support students of color and those who identify as LGBTQIA+, while a $150,000 state grant will help expand mental health services for all students, the school said on Tuesday.

"With the increase of mental health needs of our students, we needed to prioritize not only increasing our services but making sure they are inclusive and accessible, " Salem State Associate Director of Counseling and Health Services Elizabeth Fell said. "Students very specifically have been asking for clinicians who share their identities, which we have been able to fulfill with our new multicultural specialist and LGBTQIA+ specialist.

"These grants have helped increase the timeliness of accessing services beyond our traditional crisis support and psychotherapy within the counseling center by adding the new 24/7 Mental Health Support Line, accessing a self-guided mental health tool, and five free counseling sessions off campus."

The Tower Foundation grant funded the hiring last summer of multicultural specialist case manager Denice Villar.

"I really hope with this position to remind individuals to take care of themselves," Villar said. "One of my favorite quotes, in general, is "taking care of yourself is helping the collective."

The state funding will allow all students to have five free counseling sessions with a therapist off-campus in addition to the counseling services available on campus. Also funded is increased training for students, faculty and staff on mental health and on how to support and refer students for help to prevent substance abuse and suicide.

The resources currently available to students under the stepped care model include:

• Access to immediate mental health support through the 24-hour hotline, staffed by clinicians who can assess a situation, make sure the student is safe, provide support, and help connect with additional resources.
• Same- or next-day visit with staff in the counseling center either in person or remote
• Brief therapy for students through the counseling center, in person or remote
• Assistance to off-campus referrals for ongoing care or higher levels of care
• Connection to a confidential advocate for any student impacted by interpersonal violence. This would not only provide support but, also, help a student understand what options exist and the on- and off-campus processes should a student want to report an assault to authorities.

"We want to remove barriers, and we also want to meet students where they are," Associate Dean of Students for Wellness Elise Castillo said. "We're able to now offer more than we have ever been able to offer in the history of this institution, and we hope that we will be able to continue to evolve to meet students' needs."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)