JED Campus partnership highlights the Emmanuel College commitment to wellness

Emmanuel College has entered a partnership with the JED Foundation that aims to enhance the wellness and mental health supports offered on campus.

As a JED campus, Emmanuel will work along the foundation over the next four years to evaluate and strengthen support resources for students. Emmanuel Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Jennifer Forry described this new initiative as the latest example of Emmanuel’s ongoing commitment to mental health and wellness.

Emmanuel College's Counseling & Wellness Center team (from left to right): Staff Clinician & Wellness Coordinator Kaitlynn Chase MA, Director of Counseling Amanda Snow LMHC, Office Manager Lyndsey Sylvain, Staff Clinician Grace Hanley and Assistant Director of Counseling Colleen Williams.

“Nurturing the development of the whole student is a core value for Emmanuel, and a strong campus support system is a vital foundation for that growth,” said Forry. “Partnering with the JED Foundation further demonstrates Emmanuel’s commitment to student support and wellbeing.”

The first step of the JED process is creating an interdisciplinary, campus-wide team to assess programs, policies, and systems.

One of the most crucial elements of the first year, which will help guide the team’s activities, is this fall’s Healthy Minds student survey. The survey provides Emmanuel students with an opportunity to share anonymously about their wellness experiences and have a direct impact on the future of wellbeing on campus.

A glimpse at a newly added sensory room in the Wellness Center.

Upon completion of the survey, JED subject matter experts will provide the Emmanuel team with comprehensive reports that will illustrate student needs, outline national best practices, and identify both successes and opportunities for enhancements at Emmanuel.

The JED Foundation is a non-profit that supports mental health and well-being on more than 500 college campuses nationwide.

“The college years are the age when many mental health issues first manifest, and it can be a time of significant stress and pressure,” said John MacPhee, Chief Executive Officer of JED. “JED Campus helps schools by working with them to evaluate what their college or university is doing to support student emotional health and well-being and find practical ways to augment these efforts in a comprehensive way.”

The JED team will work closely with Emmanuel’s Counseling and Wellness staff, who provide a variety of support services for Emmanuel students, including short-term individual and group counseling, crisis support, and educational workshops and events. New for this year, the Center was renovated to add a new wellness lounge and sensory cooldown area.

“These updates to our physical space will help us serve more students in new and different ways,” said Emmanuel Director of Counseling Amanda Snow. “We’re incredibly excited to collaborate with JED, campus partners, and our students to gather direct feedback about what else we can do to improve wellness at Emmanuel.”

The Counseling & Wellness Center is at 220 Marian Hall. Click here for more information.