February 25

Well-being encompasses more than the Steps to Leaps definition - “Staying healthy in body, brain and spirit is a life-long journey. Learn strategies to improve your own well-being with steps to security, health and prosperity.”

Pieces of the other four Steps to Leaps pillars and the ability of students to leverage their understanding of all pillar concepts impact their well-being. Therefore, the support of student well-being is greater than just one department or area of campus. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has made amazing strides in the past few years to provide same-day/next-day interventions for students. One of the strategies they’ve used to improve access is through partnerships with other departments on campus, such as Community, Assistance and Resources for Engineering Students (CARES) and counseling offerings in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars.

CARES was developed from an idea by students to create a concrete space for engineering students to relax, connect with their peers and, most importantly, find low-barrier, high-access support for their mental health and well-being through on-site therapy, peer mentoring, wellness education and community-building activities. In addition to an embedded therapist provided by CAPS, CARES provides students a space to build their network. The space provides opportunities for students to connect with games, tables, a refrigerator and a microwave. It’s a space of serendipity where students can find other engineers or bump into Jennie Beutler, staff therapist, and Kristy Eaton, EdD, director of CARES. With her knowledge of the small communities, programs and courses in engineering, Beutler provides important contextual support for students.

The efficiency of CARES can be seen in the assessment data. Dr. Eaton reports that when a student attends “between two and five sessions they reported a reduction in stress by 84%” and those with “symptoms of depression” saw them “lessened by 62% without medication.” A survey of engineering students who have participated in CARES outreach workshops indicated 94% plan to initiate a well-being practice they learned. The impact of well-being practices is enhanced by their focus on helping students build their networks through community, helping them find the ways they can positively impact their world through everyday interactions, succeed and persist.

Similar to the experience of engineering students, the experience of graduate students and those in Veterinary Medicine is unique. Colleen Maguire Jackson, PhD, provides students in Veterinary Medicine with a wealth of resources to navigate what can be a challenging but rewarding program. One example is that they provide reflection rounds in the hospital for clinical-year students. These reflections allow students “space to debrief from the professional and personal challenges” they may face in their clinical work. While she does provide counseling for the Veterinary Medicine students that is similar to the support they’d receive from CAPS, she also serves as the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Wellness Committee chair. In this role, she provides wellness weeks and programming for students, Similar to CARES, Veterinary Medicine provides space for students to commune and take a break from a stressful day in the wellness room, providing opportunities to build their networks through community. 

The impact of CAPS can be seen through student success, but oftentimes it comes through partnerships to put well-being in action throughout campus. Whether through partnerships with the College of Engineering to support CARES or through a counselor supporting Veterinary Medicine and the Graduate School, CAPS is meeting students where they are.

There are numerous ways we can support partner departments and meet students where they are with the resources we provide. Every time we create partnerships, we expand the ways we can put a Steps to Leaps pillar into action.