JED Campus
As one of the six Minnesota colleges and universities that participate in the JED Campus program, St. Scholastica is committed to efforts to enhance and improve supports around mental health, wellness, substance misuse and suicide prevention. These efforts equip our students with the skills to thrive.
JED Campus is a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation designed to empower schools with a framework and customized support. By becoming a JED Campus Member St. Scholastica has committed to the emotional well-being of its students, faculty and staff.
Comprehensive Approach and 7 Domains
In collaboration with JED Campus, St. Scholastica has implemented a comprehensive approach to mental health and substance use prevention for the campus using the JED Campus model. JED’s programs are grounded in an evidence-based model which identifies 7 key domains for strategic planning and equitable implementation.
These domains include:
- Promote social connectedness
- Identify students at risk
- Increase help-seeking behavior
- Provide mental health and substance misuse services
- Follow crisis management procedures
- Restrict access to potentially lethal means
- Develop life skills
The 7 key domains are used to assess efforts currently being made on campus, as well as identifying the college’s existing strengths and areas for improvement.
St. Scholastica’s Four-Year Strategic Process
Because of the increasing need for mental health services, St. Scholastica has committed to the process of reviewing and enhancing the services and supports for all of our campuses and locations.
This is a four-year initiative that was approved and supported by the St. Scholastica Board of Trustees in 2020. Additional funding and support for projects within this initiative have been provided by the Timothy Miller Fund and the Tom and Mimi Stender Family.
Campus-Wide Interventions
St. Scholastica’s Counseling Services, in collaboration with Jed Campus community members, has developed a mental health safety net for our campuses which include several evidence-based models of interventions. A key strategy for supporting students on college campuses is the early identification of students experiencing mental health distress, as well as the ability to support and refer those students to appropriate resources.
There are three programs that we are using to train and equip our community members to be able to assist when confronted by students with mental health concerns. These include Mental Health First Aid, QPR Suicide Prevention Training and the Bandana Project.
Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention Training
This 1.5-hour program teaches attendees how to identify when individuals may be struggling with mental health distress, recognize warning signs for suicide, and increase knowledge of resources and referrals for people at risk for suicide.
Mental Health First Aid
This 8-hour program teaches how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses. Training provides the skills to reach out and provide initial help, resources and support to anyone who may be developing a mental health concern, substance use problem or experiencing a crisis.
Bandana Project
The St. Scholastica Bandana Project: Saints Stompin’ out Stigma was developed in 2022 to decrease stigma around mental health concerns and increase awareness of mental health resources and available support for students, faculty and staff. This program offers additional training to those who have already completed the QPR and Mental Health First Aid programs.
Those who have completed the program and pledge to be a resource to those struggling with mental health concerns display a yellow bandana as a signal that they are willing and able to provide support. The signature yellow bandana is not only a way to identify people to help, but it also serves as a visual reminder that in general, mental health supports are available to support someone struggling with life events, circumstances or challenges which impact mental wellness.
JED Campus Leadership and Team
Comprised of 50 faculty, staff and students who meet on a monthly basis to identify priorities of the strategic plan.
