Dear Students, Faculty and Staff, Earlier this year, the University of Houston assembled a Mental Health Taskforce to address the needs of our campus community. This group has ardently advocated for the expansion of resources that support the mental well-being of our UH family. In doing so, it’s collaborated with departments and divisions across our campus and served as a catalyst for a number of remarkable accomplishments this year. As 2023 draws to a close, we’d like to spotlight just some of the achievements made possible by Cougar teamwork. You are likely familiar with CoogsCARE, the multifaceted communications initiative providing information on campus resources, self-care tips, workshops, trainings and other helpful content. A monthly newsletter and online portal have proven to be two of CoogsCARE’s most popular platforms. One important outgrowth of CoogsCARE is UH’s increased participation in the JED Campus Initiative. As a JED campus, the University’s students, faculty and staff collaborate to assess and enhance resources and policies related to mental health and suicide prevention. This year, more than 200 Cougars have joined UH’s JED efforts and are contributing their time and energy to campus work groups. In 2023, the University also added new mental health services for students. These include the 24/7 online portal Togetherall, virtual self-care via the Welltrack app and outpatient therapy available through Charlie Health. Likewise, UH’s own Care Team, supporting campus safety and wellbeing, has grown. Other significant gains driven by cross-campus collaborations include further support of UH’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). This year, CAPS eliminated all student fees and expanded its services to include programming within the Student Center. Likewise, CAPS has increased its workshops to better accommodate the student population. Retaining and recruiting CAPS counselors was also a priority. In 2023, counselors received salary increases and started to become embedded within UH’s colleges to reach more students. Trainings for the Cougar community have also grown. These include You Can Help a Coog , and the expanded promotion of Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) suicide prevention training, which has experienced an uptick in participants this year. The University also began implementing mental health and wellness sessions during new student orientations, as well as the addition of peer assistants to further connect with incoming Coogs. All students now have easy access to mental health resources such as CoogsCARE and CAPS through Canvas and all class syllabi. On the horizon for 2024 are expanded training, workshops and additional programming. The taskforce also will work with departments and divisions to broaden UH’s mental health strategies and explore potential community partnerships. These achievements and goals are just a snapshot of the hard work that has taken place this year. We wholeheartedly applaud the efforts of the taskforce and participating divisions, departments and colleges. You also deserve credit. As Cougars, we are there for one another … and the University of Houston is here for you. Let’s continue to work together to support a healthy, safe environment for both learning and working. Sincerely, Raymond S. Bartlett Diane Z. Chase |
