“We’ve seen a 300% increase in students accessing our services between 2014 and 2023,” said Sonia Hunt, director of Counseling Services at Central State. “The students have championed that cause by making sure we have mental health-related activities and programming on campus. We have designated mental health advocates — students, faculty and staff — to help champion the mental wellness initiative. And it has worked.”
The university’s counseling services team works with student leaders to reduce stigma, including through the National Alliance on Mental Illness, on campus. University officials say Central State is the nation’s first Historically Black College or University to offer the student group in collaboration with NAMI.
In 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimated 39% of Black or African American adults, 25% of Asian adults, and 36% of Hispanic/Latino adults with any mental illness received treatment, compared to 52% of non-Hispanic white adults.
In 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ages 10-19 and the second-leading cause of death among those ages 20-34, according to SAMSHA.
Stigma surrounding mental health problems in minority communities is also a problem, causing people to delay seeking help and prefer informal support networks over professional care, Hunt said.
Rural communities, such as the one surrounding Central State, also typically have fewer qualified mental health providers locally.
“There is one mental health agency in (Xenia), and it’s five miles away,” Hunt said. “Transportation is a barrier. For some of our students, insurance can be a barrier. Immediate access does not exist because the mental health agency has a waiting list.”
Because connecting with a therapist is an important part of mental health care, those in minority communities may choose to seek out mental health professionals who look like them, or who share similar experiences.
For this reason, black and minority mental health professionals are in demand.
“This profession is already susceptible to burnout, and traditionally, we have not talked about self-care,” Hunt said. “Post-COVID, there has been a decrease in (providers) because the reality is we have our own battle wounds. Vicarious trauma is real. So, the question becomes, what do you do to fill your cup as a clinician?”
Central State is also encouraging students to pursue majors in social work, psychology or sociology through the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
“We are present. We are where the students are. That is on purpose to develop the relational capacity, so students are comfortable coming to us,” Hunt said. “We know that healing happens in relationships, especially for marginalized populations — LGBTQ students, students from the international community. We endeavor to create a campus that is embracing and informed.”
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