Guide Created To Promote Mental Health And Safety On College Campuses

NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In recent years, events like the tragedies at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University spurred the creation of campus teams that can both anticipate and respond to different types of campus problems or threats. More recently, the tragic shootings in Colorado brought attention to the role of campus teams. As students begin a new school year, a comprehensive guide for establishing new teams and managing existing ones is being made available to colleges and universities across the country. "Balancing Safety and Support on Campus: A Guide for Campus Teams" is a free online resource and project of the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA). The initiative is being led by The Jed Foundation, the nation's leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among America's college students.

"We are incredibly proud to have been able to lead such an important project on behalf of HEMHA," says John MacPhee, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation. "College is a critical time for mental health, and effective campus teams are essential for identifying struggling students before problems worsen. The new guide is a comprehensive tool for schools to help with their efforts to promote emotional health and protect the safety of all students."

The reality is that, while violent events may generate headlines, college students are far more likely to pose a risk to themselves than to others: suicides are between 75 and 100 times more common than homicide on college campuses. Campus teams can play a crucial role in early identification of problems, early intervention and suicide prevention on college campuses. This new guide covers the full range of each team's responsibilities, from worries about a struggling student to campus safety concerns. Created with input from a group of national experts who have served on and advised teams throughout the country, the guide helps campus professionals understand all of the factors that should be considered, including team mission and scope, name, membership, functions and procedures, as well as common pitfalls and obstacles they may face.

Campus professionals can access this free, downloadable resource by visiting The Jed Foundation website at www.jedfoundation.org/campusteams.

About The Jed Foundation

The Jed Foundation (TJF) is the nation's leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students.  TJF materials and tools are available to all colleges and universities throughout the United States.  Founded in 2000 by parents who lost a son to suicide while he was attending college, the organization has developed numerous programs including ULifeline, an online resource that gives students access to campus-specific resources and allows them to take an anonymous emotional health screening; the Peabody Award-winning Half of Us campaign with mtvU, which uses online, on-air and on-campus programming to decrease stigma around mental illness and encourage help-seeking; Love is Louder, a movement online and in communities to build connectedness and increase resiliency; Transition Year, an online resource center to help parents and students focus on emotional health before, during and after the college transition; and a portfolio of nationally-recognized tools, resources and training programs that help campuses effectively promote mental health and protect at-risk students.  Learn more by visiting www.jedfoundation.org, www.ulifeline.org, www.halfofus.com, www.loveislouder.com and www.transitionyear.org.

About the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA)

Envisioned and formed in September 2008 under the leadership of the American College Health Association (ACHA), the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA) is a partnership of organizations dedicated to advancing college mental health.  The Alliance affirms that the issue of college mental health is central to student success, and therefore is the responsibility of higher education.

SOURCE The Jed Foundation