Mental Health Timeline - University of Houston
Skip to main content

Mental Health Timeline

The University of Houston has long recognized the importance of providing robust support services to our students, especially in the realm of mental health. While these efforts did not begin in 2022, recent years have seen a significant expansion and enhancement of these services to better meet the evolving needs of our student body, ensuring they have the support needed to thrive academically and personally. Our work is not done. We are dedicated to creating a culture of care, where every student feels supported and valued.

2022

Embedded Counselors:
Model created to embed counselors in specific divisions and colleges. First clinician added.
 
UH Wellness Expansion:
Added staff to Cougar Cupboard and Health Education programs.
JED Campus Suicide Prevention:
Launched a 4-year initiative with self-assessment, surveys, and strategic plan.
Behavioral Intervention Team:
Evolved into a new Care Team model, hired two case managers.
Mental Health Support:
Added clinicians in Cougars in Recovery, UH Wellness and Dean of Students Office.
$1M Investment in Personnel:
10 new health and wellness positions created to support mental health, health education and student support services, including three licensed clinicians.

Spring 2023

CAPS Fees:
Permanently removed.
Taskforces:
President Khator established taskforces for Mental Health and Agnes Arnold Hall (March); recommendations made.
CAPS External Review:
Conducted and recommendations made.
Mental Health Investment:
$8.2M additional funds allocated for FY24.
CAPS Staff Compensation:
Increased to competitive levels.

Summer 2023

Agnes Arnold Hall:
Phase One renovation completed, including balcony screening, stairwell, and sky bridge enhancements.
Mental Health Training:
Redeveloped "You Can Help a Coog" and expanded reach of QPR and multiple other trainings.
Mindfulness Spaces:
Designated and designed additional spaces for mindfulness and meditation. Spaces for reflection, mindfulness and meditation were added to the UH Facilities Planning and Construction Design Guidelines for all future UH construction projects.

Fall 2023

Embedded Counselors:
Second mental health clinician added to division/college under new model.
Syllabus Requirement:
Mental health support information updated and confirmed to be included in all syllabi.
 
CoogsCARE Website:
Launched new site with comprehensive resources.
Awareness Campaign:
Started CoogsCARE resources campaign.
“Let’s Talk” Service:
Expanded and made available in the Student Center.
 
24/7/365 Service:
Launched Togetherall and Welltrack Boost apps for students.
Peer Support Programs:
Enhanced, including CoogsCARE Fall Fest.
WISHES Survey:
The Wellbeing Improvement Survey for Higher Education Settings Survey provides timely and actionable data for UH to adapt and improve institutional norms, structures and processes so all students can flourish.

Spring 2024

Cougar Cupboard:
Expanded and opened in new location.
CAPS Expansion:
Targeting 35 clinicians, adding embedded counselors, expanding training (Completion by Fall 2025).
Partnerships:
Developed with off-campus mental health resources, including the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, and Charlie Health.

Summer 2024

 
New Student Orientations:
Included the “Be Well, Do Well” health and wellness resources session.
Standing Committees:
Senior-level leadership committees appointed to regularly assess progress on JED, mental health and wellbeing.

Fall 2024

CoogsCARE Toolkit:
Developed for faculty and staff to support and refer students in need of mental health or other wellbeing support services.
First-Year Experience Courses:
Provided to support new students’ transition, academic success, and sense of belonging and engagement.
UH Wellness Center Redesigned:
UH Wellness Center redesigned based on student feedback to foster an atmosphere of calmness and wellbeing....
Financial Assistance:
Welltrack Bridge-to-Care implemented for students in need to cover session fees with community providers.

Spring 2025

Embedded Counselors:
Three more embedded counselors are being added to colleges.
Certificate Training Program:
CaringCoogs certificate program launched for faculty, staff and students who have completed suite of mental health trainings.

Fall 2025

Increase Mental Health Clinical Staff:
Goal to expand clinical capacity by increasing clinical staffing to 35.
Health Minds Survey:
Annual web-based survey study examining mental health, service utilization, and related issues among students.

Ongoing and Future Work

Substance Use Disorder Prevention:
Implement policy and establish harm reduction support group. Initiate Naloxone trainings (2026).
Investment:
Over $55M in additional support over the next two fiscal years for various projects and expansions (2025-2027).
Expand Life Skills Programming:
Work with departments to assess learning outcomes for programming intended to teach students life skills.
Data Collection:
Continuous collection related to mental health and wellbeing to inform our efforts to meet the evolving needs of students, faculty and staff. This includes periodic distribution and analysis of Healthy Minds Survey (mental health among students) and WISHES Survey (wellbeing improvement).
Review Systems:
Assess student, faculty and staff support systems to inform needed actions.
Suicide Prevention Postvention Protocols:
Refined to align with national standards.
New CAPS Facilities:
Consolidated into a single location with updated facilities. To be explored as part of the approved Student Centers expansion (2027).
Phase 3 Agnes Arnold Hall Renovation:
Completion to address core renovations and enhancements (2027).