Assessment of Mental Health Resources at Universities in South Carolina
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Sarah Wise
When comparing smaller universities in South Carolina, there are many different variables to consider when determining if the school provides adequate mental health resources. Students rely on positive mental health, which is associated with their experience in their studies, productivity, social attainment, and overall quality of life. Most universities have been working to improve their mental health facilities to provide their students with a healthier undergraduate experience. The secondary research collected has the goal of understanding Lander University’s current mental health resources, and comparing those to both the University of South Carolina- Beaufort, and Winthrop University. These universities were decidedly compared because of their student population size. Lander University holds about 3,000 students, USCB at approximately 2,000 students, and Winthrop at roughly 4,000 students. Some of the main findings in this secondary research reveal that most universities provide the minimum amount of mental health resources. These resources include, but are not limited to; meditation links, counseling appointments (wait times may vary), suicide hotlines, medication, etc. These resources are helping students, but the universities could be providing more. Improving these resources could include adding more staff members, creating partnerships with Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous to create student group sessions, and provide personal goals to advise students to become more social and active to create a better stream of brain activity to produce better mental health consistencies. Universities are looking to expand their mental health resources to help students enjoy their undergraduate experience. The significance of this research is to understand what resources Lander university currently provides within their wellness center, and compare it to Winthrop University and University of South Carolina-Beaufort. The goal is to understand where Lander University has room to improve and ultimately improve the mental health of their Undergraduate Students.
Sarah Wise is a senior marketing and management major and Honors College member with a minor in psychology. Her secondary research was gathered to understand what mental health resources are provided by Lander University and compare those findings to similar schools in South Carolina. The goal of this research is to figure out where Lander University can improve its mental health resources, and how to implement this change