{"id":1139,"date":"2019-02-15T09:50:36","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T17:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1139"},"modified":"2024-07-23T14:55:48","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T21:55:48","slug":"mental-health-for-online-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/mental-health-for-online-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Get help managing mental health as an online student"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Two

Oregon State University Counseling and Psychological Services offers an online “resilience toolbox” with screening tools, self-help modules and mental wellness and mindfulness apps. Above, a student uses a relaxing art therapy app from the toolbox.<\/p><\/div>\n

Today\u2019s students know that the benefits of earning a degree \u2013 including increased job opportunities, higher earnings over their lifetime and more robust professional networks \u2013 are not to be passed up.<\/p>\n

\n

OSU students report increasing hardship<\/h2>\n

In a 2016 student survey at Oregon State, 25 percent of respondents shared that they experienced moderate to severe anxiety and 32 percent reported varying levels of depression.<\/p>\n

We are committed to bridging the gap between OSU’s resources and those who need them.<\/p>\n

Find support resources<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

They also know that the path to a degree can be complicated. Many students who choose to earn their Oregon State degree online do so because they face a particularly demanding school-work-life balance \u2013 and the flexibility of online learning better fits their needs.<\/p>\n

In the 2017-18 academic year, the average age of Ecampus students was 31 years old, and a majority of them were working adults and parents returning to school many years after first starting their degree. Additionally, about 44 percent self-identified as first-generation college students.<\/p>\n

The culmination of a student\u2019s identities, responsibilities and experiences can create a sense of pressure that weighs on their mental health and may impact their academic success.<\/p>\n

Knowing where to go for support is essential for a student\u2019s holistic wellness, and without a physical campus location to visit, Oregon State\u2019s online learners needed a clear-cut path to important resources for stress management. Last spring, Ecampus faculty and staff collaborated with Counseling and Psychological Services<\/a> (CAPS) and the Student Care Team<\/a> to lay the groundwork by creating a new webpage for Ecampus students on the CAPS website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Below are three tips to prioritize wellness and find support while earning your degree from a distance.<\/p>\n

\n

Tip 1: Know your resources before you need them<\/h3>\n

Preventive measures are key when it comes to mental health, just as with physical health. When long-term stressors build up into an immediate emergency, it can become more challenging to identify effective strategies to address the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally pay attention to your stress and what\u2019s going on academically, socially and personally, and try not to wait until the last minute to ask for help,\u201d advises CAPS associate director of clinical services and licensed psychologist Marcey Bamba. \u201cSee what your institution can offer you; understand the access that you have to resources here at Oregon State.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ecampus fisheries, wildlife, and conservation sciences advisor Susie Dunham suggests reaching out to an academic advisor or Ecampus student success coach<\/a> at the first signs of difficulty as academic hardship can often amplify struggles with mental health or self-worth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a matter of helping students break down what\u2019s going on and asking them questions to pull out the key things that are getting in the way of school,\u201d Susie says.<\/p>\n

In addition to connecting online students with resources and acting as a pillar of support, advisors can also help students to identify course drop and withdraw dates and other important information to save them time, money and emotional burden.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they need to take a break or take a lighter load. Maybe they\u2019re putting too much pressure on themselves. Sometimes they just need someone to give them permission to take a break and reassess,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Tip 2: Explore several options to discover what works for you<\/h3>\n

Ecampus students living in Oregon can access face-to-face or limited distance counseling services<\/a> through CAPS. Ecampus students living outside of Oregon are unable to receive ongoing counseling through Oregon State due to state licensing laws, but any student in crisis can call CAPS and get help connecting with continuing mental health services in their own area.<\/p>\n

\n

Feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start?<\/h2>\n

These Oregon State University resources can guide you toward a balanced life as an online student:<\/p>\n

Counseling and Psychological Services<\/a><\/p>\n

Ecampus student success coaching<\/a><\/p>\n

Disability Access Services<\/a><\/p>\n

Student Care Team<\/a><\/p>\n

Student communities and organizations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

However, Marcey reminds students that counseling is just one of countless valuable mental health care options. Try out the many online mental health resources<\/a> available through Oregon State to find out what is helpful to address your unique needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have online self-help supports, wellness apps and TAO (Therapy Assistance Online) self-help<\/a>. You can work on modules on your own,\u201d Marcey says. \u201cStudents don\u2019t need to pay the health fee to access any of our online services. We will do our best to help them where they\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n

CAPS also creates a weekly mindfulness newsletter<\/a> to share tips, guided meditations and mindfulness challenges, and crowd-sourced knowledge and recommendations from the Oregon State community.<\/p>\n

Tip 3: Connect with a community, no matter where you are<\/h3>\n

While many online students live with others and are involved in their local communities, a student\u2019s support system benefits greatly from the presence of peers who share and can empathize with their university experience.<\/p>\n

Engage with classmates and instructors live whenever possible, both in and out of the classroom.<\/p>\n

Try using phone or video conferencing to complete group projects or check in with faculty; it can offer a personal face-to-face experience while saving the extra time it takes to communicate in writing.<\/p>\n

You can also get involved with peers both on and off campus by joining a student community or organization<\/a> and connecting with fellow classmates on the Ecampus Learning Community site in Canvas.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that there is an opportunity for these students to have other ways to support each other, other than in the classroom setting. A sense of belonging is critical \u2013 research supports that,\u201d says Marcey. \u201cCreate family, social supports around you in your area and virtually with your other classmates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline<\/a>\u00a0at 1-800-273-8255. Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 4<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Without a physical campus location to visit, Oregon State\u2019s online learners needed a clear-cut path to important mental health resources, so Ecampus faculty and staff partnered with Counseling and Psychological Services and the Student Care Team to lay the foundation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,9,15,3,672,8,676],"tags":[474,554,26,25,24,30,475],"class_list":["post-1139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-faculty","category-staff","category-features","category-learning-experience","category-students","category-why-osu","tag-counseling-and-psychological-services","tag-disability-access-services","tag-distance-education","tag-online-education","tag-online-learning","tag-student-success","tag-student-success-coaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/G72A3658-2.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-in","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1600,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/mental-health-resources-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":1139,"position":0},"title":"Mental health resources for online students","author":"Julie Cooper","date":"November 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Knowing where to go for support is essential for a student\u2019s holistic wellness, and without a physical campus location to visit, Oregon State\u2019s online learners thankfully have a clear-cut path to important resources for stress management. Read three tips to prioritize wellness and find support while earning your degree from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A person uses a smartphone to access Oregon State University's mental health resources online","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/G72A3650-2.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/G72A3650-2.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/G72A3650-2.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/G72A3650-2.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1506,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/phd-counseling-online-daniel-cisneros\/","url_meta":{"origin":1139,"position":1},"title":"Oregon State counseling Ph.D. student earns $20,000 national fellowship award","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"August 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Daniel Cisneros, a student in Oregon State\u2019s Ph.D. in Counseling online program, has been awarded a $20,000 counseling fellowship from the National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation to aid his research efforts and professional work that focus on serving LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented individuals.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Headshot of Daniel Cisneros, a Ph.D. in Counseling hybrid student with Oregon State University Ecampus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Daniel-Cisneros-744x478-200811.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Daniel-Cisneros-744x478-200811.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Daniel-Cisneros-744x478-200811.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Daniel-Cisneros-744x478-200811.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1289,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/ecampus-awarded-online-student-support\/","url_meta":{"origin":1139,"position":2},"title":"OSU Ecampus earns national recognition for online student support services","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"November 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Students who learn online at Oregon State University receive the highest level of academic support according to a new distinction earned by the school. 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