Within the first decade of the 21st century, enrollment at American colleges and universities increased a whopping 24 percent from 16.6 million in 2002 to 20.6 million in 2012. Just as college enrollments have dramatically increased, so too have the proportion of students suffering from mental illness. Some have deemed that we are in the midst of a "College Student Mental Health Crisis." From all directions, data are emerging, depicting a sobering scene. How can the field of higher education best respond to this crisis? Many institutions have increased the number of mental health counselors available in the student health center and made the accommodations at disability resource centers more robust. Still, the same survey from the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that only half of students with a mental health diagnosis disclose their condition to their college. This course will delve into the extant literature on the nature of mental health problems facing students today, and how professionals in the field can best respond to address such problems as they arise and to the extent possible, prevent them in the first place. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Undergraduates may enroll with permission of the instructor only.
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