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Office of the Provost

Mental Health Teaching Resources

As Bentley faculty, you have consistently shown your commitment to the ongoing success of our students. This is evident by our student's success in strong graduation, job placement and graduate school attendance rates. To better support your work as instructors, the Learning Design team, the Counseling Center, and the Care Team have collaborated to provide you with this resource page on college student mental health.

You may be asking "isn't this a student affairs issue?" Of course, the student affairs team spends a great deal of time and resources on supporting the physical and emotional well-being of our students. However, student mental health concerns do not vanish the moment a student walks into the classroom. Recently, a 2021 study led by the BU School of Public Health found that eight in 10 faculty members had a one-on-one conversation with a student about mental health in the last 12 months. This same study found that most faculty did not know enough about mental health and campus resources to feel effective in those conversations. We know that faculty support can have a positive impact on students' academic success and overall well-being. This resource page seeks to remedy this concern for faculty by providing information on the current mental health landscape, classroom strategies for faculty, and a comprehensive listing of Bentley-based resources for students and instructors.

For more information on the current mental health in higher education landscape, please read this:

Mental Health Landscape

 

Today's Collegiate Mental Health Landscape

The landscape of college student mental health has evolved greatly over the last decade. Prior to the pandemic, the EAB reported that from 2009 to 2015, college and university counseling center utilization grew five times faster than enrollment. Read Full Report

Mental health and inclusive pedagogy should not be seen as separate domains. It is critical to assess students' levels and design experiences and environments supportive of diverse needs.

Current pedological approaches involve classroom strategies, to help you approach to facilitate this, please click each button:

Student's Mental Health and Well-Being in Higher Education

Teaching and Classroom Strategies

  • Readiness
  • Interpersonal and Intra-team Conflict
  • Empathy and Connection
  • Preventive and Proactive Measures
Teaching and Classroom Strategies

Expectations and Policies

  • Exceptions, Extensions and Flexibility
  • Normalize Disruptions
  • Promote and Empower Self-Advocacy
Expectations and Policies

Assessments

  • Pre-assessments
  • Reduce Test Anxiety
Assessments

Knowing more about our campus-based resources empowers you and students in situations big and small. This section is intended to provide faculty with a one stop resource for referring students, and even colleagues, to our Bentley resources.

Kognito is an interactive, online educational program on supportive mental health practices for Bentley students, staff and faculty. Click here for more information on how to access Kognito.

For more information, please view these Resources 

 

In cases of emergency, please contact University Police (781.891.3131) for on-campus emergencies or 911 for off-campus emergencies first if the student of concern poses an immediate threat to self or others or if the individual experiences a medical emergency (e.g. seizure, loss of consciousness). During business hours, faculty can also contact staff in student affairs at 781.891.2161.

Faculty and Staff Training Videos

COVID-19 and Student Mental Health

Helping Students Manage COVID Related Stress

Supportive Conversations with Emotional Students