New Online Mental Health Resource Now Available
A new web and app-based mental health resource is now available to all students, faculty and staff, courtesy of Purdue Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) offers free, confidential well-being resources to all students, faculty and staff on the West Lafayette campus. TAO is a self-guided program informed by psychotherapy research and strategies that provide assistance to help overcome anxiety, depression and other concerns. TAO provides accessible and effective resources including short videos, brief exercises and self-reflection tools.
“Everyone on campus can benefit from this,” says Chris Hanes, director of CAPS. “TAO gives our community a wealth of resources they can refer to students while simultaneously giving students a variety of tools for self-help. Students can access the app at their convenience and complete exercises, reflect, track moods, journal and more.”
TAO offers more than 150 mental health resource activities that cover over 50 topics. Content includes single, short and long-term exercises, presented in a Netflix-style, on-demand format. Content areas include:
- Stress and coping with stressful situations.
- Resilience, grit and personal growth.
- Relationships and communication.
- Health-related concerns.
- Anxiety, worry and specific fears.
- Depression.
- Substance use.
- Special topics.
One aspect of TAO that separates it from other programs is the ability for faculty, staff and campus organizations who use the program to assign courses and exercises to students. Exercises can be assigned as part of courses or used in conjunction with other well-being programs.
“We would love to partner with departments and organizations around campus to discuss how TAO can be embedded in and used in conjunction with already existing programs,” Hanes says. “TAO has proven to be successful in academic and extracurricular settings when implemented through areas such as first-year programs, residence life, athletics, disability services and more.
“The concepts presented in TAO are also transferable to competencies that are promoted within Steps to Leaps,” Hanes continues. “These exercises can be used to develop problem-solving, teamwork, leadership and organization skills while students explore and improve their well-being.”
Registration for TAO is open to all faculty, staff and students. Users should enter their Purdue email address and log in with their Purdue credentials. Once logged in, users can customize the program to their preferences.
CAPS is a team of multicultural professionals who deliver comprehensive psychological services to Purdue students. CAPS helps Purdue students maximize the value of their life experiences by developing collaborative relationships in a safe and respectful environment. CAPS’ portfolio of professional services includes individual, group and couples' psychotherapy; psychopharmacology; crisis intervention; drug and alcohol programs; outreach and consultation; and the training of helping professionals.