In reaction to the tragedies from the previous school year, Counseling and Psychological Services and other resources on campus like the Center for Wellness and Health Promotion have taken extra steps to ensure the safety and well-being of the Tulane community. 

“CAPS has continued to be committed to expanding and improving our services in support of Tulane students,” CAPS Director Donna Bender said. 

Bender explained that the CAPS staff worked all summer to review and redevelop their operations, which included hiring two more psychologists and a new lead psychiatrist. Other changes include expanded access to therapy sessions, the addition of the Care Coordinator position, a 24-hour hotline for support on any concern called The Line, more support and skills groups, and improvements to the CAPS website. 

“Demand for services at CAPS continues to be significant,” Bender said. “This means, in part, that many of our Tulane students are willing to seek help, and that is positive.” 

Young people are opening up to seeking mental health support, especially concerning common issues that occur during this phase of life. Even with significant demand for services at CAPS, they are prepared to handle the amount of cases they receive. 

“We have adjusted some of our internal procedures to maximize efficiency,” Bender said. 

Other on-campus resources like TheWELL have also made changes and improvements to their services to better accommodate the Tulane community. 

“We recognize that the student body has a heightened interest in mental health promotion,” TheWELL Director Lindsey Greeson said. “We have increased our capacity to meet requests for mental health and suicide prevention-related materials, workshops and outreach.”

TheWELL hosts events like Wellness Wednesdays to promote well-being and self-care, provides free and anonymous mental health screening online and trains students to work as wellness advocates through the Tulane University Peer Health Education program. TheWELL also provides Kognito At-Risk online training for students, faculty and staff to bring awareness to the mental health of others. 

As CAPS and TheWELL try to increase their presence on campus and promote mental health, their efforts are not going unnoticed. 

“I think they have done a good job of doing outreach to where people are more aware of what services they have to offer,” senior Sara Beth Harrell said.