{"id":11560,"date":"2024-09-24T18:21:13","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T18:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/?p=11560"},"modified":"2024-09-24T18:21:13","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T18:21:13","slug":"federal-grant-expands-mental-health-supports-at-augsburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/news\/2024\/09\/24\/federal-grant-expands-mental-health-supports-at-augsburg\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Grant Expands Mental Health Supports at Augsburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Students<\/a>Like many colleges, Augsburg University has seen a rise in demand for mental health services in recent years. But despite the growing need, students who are BIPOC, low-income, or first-generation often experience unique barriers to seeking help with mental health or substance use issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTwo of the gifts of our community\u2014our diverse student body and our location in the heart of Minneapolis\u2014mean that a \u2018one-size fits all\u2019 approach to mental health doesn\u2019t work here at Augsburg,\u201d said Michael Grewe, dean of students. \u201cMany of our students come from immigrant communities that have experienced multiple forms of oppression and trauma, and our campus sits just a few miles from where George Floyd was murdered in 2020. This translates to a significant need not only for trauma-informed mental health services but also for a trauma-informed campus community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Augsburg recently received a grant of nearly $300,000 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to improve students\u2019 ability to access culturally relevant mental health and substance use prevention and intervention services. The grant will support the Auggie Well-Being project, an initiative to promote help-seeking and reduce stigma among underrepresented and under-resourced students.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Systemic barriers to seeking help can stem from cultural stigma, fear of discrimination, past experiences of discrimination or criminalization, lack of comfort with Western mental health care systems, or lack of awareness about mental health challenges that could benefit from counseling or other interventions. The Auggie Well-being project calls for outreach, training, and community programming to address these barriers. Over the three years of the grant, Augsburg will:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n