New resource to support student mental health

Dear colleagues,

Many of you have probably noticed less engagement and participation among your students this semester. As this article and many others in higher education news describe, institutions of higher education are observing an overall decline in student mental health nationwide. Seeing your students in distress can be very difficult, especially if you don't feel you have the tools to help. We want to call your attention to a resource available to all UM employees to help you recognize and address signs of student distress.

Mental Health Training: Kognito is a 45-minute, web-based training simulation module designed to help you recognize signs of mental health issues, distress, and suicide, as well as how to communicate with and refer at-risk students. You can complete the online training at your own pace.

We’d like to encourage you to complete Kognito training by January 31, 2022. Anyone who completes the training by this date will be entered into a raffle for a YETI Roadie 24 Cooler!

Here is what we are hearing about Kognito:

“Kognito stood out to me because I could work on it on my own time and at my own pace. It was great to get feedback from my answers to the scenario questions; letting me know in real-time why some responses may be more harmful/helpful in different situations. You could "undo" your answers to see how the scenario changed if you answered differently. It was a quick, simple, but powerful training.” – Karissa Lubingill, Global Engagement Office

“I appreciate getting the chance to go through the Kognito training this semester. The clear, concise, specific examples were helpful and the solutions realistic to what we encounter in the student experience today. It gave me a chance to be thoughtful and reflective in choosing my solutions as well as constructive feedback for suggestions along the way.“ – Jen Zellmer-Cuaresma, Student-Athlete Support Services

Please take some time in the next two months to complete this training. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Kayli Julius, Director of Wellness, Curry Health Center

Brian Reed, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success

Brian French, Executive Director, Office for Student Success

This message was sent by the Office of the Provost, on behalf of our colleagues in Student Success, to all UM staff, faculty, administrators, and graduate students.