Care Team Helps Students Connect to Mental Wellbeing Resources

The University continues to acknowledge Mental Health Awareness in the month of October and highlight the many resources available to students to support their mental wellbeing. What do students do when they need support but don’t know where to go? Baylor’s Care Team sits as the first step for getting help. The team of case managers connects students to resources both on and off campus and offers holistic, relational care.

“We realize that life outside the classroom greatly impacts life inside the classroom.” Director of Student Care and Well-Being Meghan Becker shared. “Faculty, staff, students and parents can refer students to us and we are able to reach out directly to the student to offer help. Oftentimes, a student in need is in a state of overwhelm and it helps to have a Baylor mental health professional on their team who can take the initiative to connect with and support them.”

Examples of when a student should be referred to the Care Team include:

• Talk of suicide (directly or indirectly)

• Marked change in personal hygiene

• Marked decline in academic work

• Increased absences, agitation, irritability, aggression

• Excessive weight loss

• Bizarre behavior, speech, writing

• Alcohol or drug misuse

• Depressed, stressed

• Threatening behavior

• Classroom disruption

• Report of interpersonal or sexual violence

When a student is referred to the Care Team, a case manager will reach out to understand their struggles and concerns. Next, case managers determine what resources best fit the student's needs and will connect them accordingly.

“We want students to know that there is a place that they can be cared for; regardless of who you are or what you’re dealing with, everybody belongs,” Becker said. “The Care Team has always loved getting students the help they need, and there are so many avenues of care that Baylor has in order to make that a reality.”

If you know someone who’s having a difficult time, has increased stress and anxiety, or you know they need care but don’t know how to help them, refer them to the Baylor Care Team by submitting the Care Team online form (https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?BaylorUniv&layout_id=7).