Four steps to consider today
We learned so much about our son in this process. We also took a crash course on mental health! For those who recently sent your kids off to college (or back to college), here are a few things I wholeheartedly encourage you to consider:
- If your child has struggled with any level of anxiety, depression or self-harm in the past, don’t assume they are fine. The transition to college is a major physical and emotional change and can awaken those feelings. Don’t be afraid to have those conversations with them.
- Check in with your child frequently in the early weeks and months. They may be annoyed with you, but the more frequently you check in, the sooner you will know if something is off.
- If the college offers free mental health sessions, or if a school Christian fellowship group offers connections to pastoral counseling, encourage your student to use those resources, even if they seem fine. Many of the universities we visited offered some form of counseling as part of the tuition.
- If your child is experiencing mental health struggles or has in the past, ask the college if they have accommodations (equivalent to a 504 or IEP in high school) and sign up for them (or be aware of how to do so quickly). My son’s university has this option, and we did not think we needed it until we did. Thankfully his professors let him work remotely, but had we signed up for accommodations sooner, he would have had the ability to make up schoolwork and tests he missed while at home without penalty.
These are hard things to consider! No one wants to drop their child off at college knowing the address of the behavioral health office, or exploring how to apply for accommodations. As parents, we want to see our children thrive in college, and every next chapter.
But college is a huge adjustment. And the more we can stay tuned in to our college kids’ emotional and behavioral health needs, the more we can set them up for success with what God has called them to do in the future.
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