Loneliness: Help Students Overcome Isolation and Feel a Sense of Community & Belonging – On-Demand Training

Nearly two-thirds — almost 65% — of college students report feeling lonely. The recent report also determined that college students who indicate feeling lonely are over four times more likely to experience severe psychological distress.*

Universities are grappling with a number of challenges related to student loneliness. While not a new phenomenon, these feelings of isolation are exacerbated by social media, pressures to get a job, and an inability to overcome the obstacles placed before them. 

Help your students who feel lonely and isolated feel a sense of community and belonging. 

Our presenter — Dr. Peggy Crowe, the Director of the Counseling Center & Student Accessibility Resource Center at Western Kentucky University — addresses the challenges related to student loneliness on campus today and provides strategies to help you improve engagement efforts, be proactive in providing mental health support to students struggling, enhance communication and outreach, and promote peer support networks. 

Gain individual and group initiative ideas you can incorporate into your community, strategies for overcoming the stigma of getting mental health treatment, and tools for helping students stay in the moment so they can connect better with their peers. 

You’ll improve retention, engagement and completion as students learn to better manage themselves in new situations, find their place at your institution and get the support they need to be successful.

*TimelyCare and Active Minds Report, 2024

Topics Covered

Gain crucial, actionable takeaways that will help you:

• Understand loneliness in the context of today’s higher education environment and implement specific strategies to most effectively develop necessary life-skill sets in your students.
• Facilitate mindfulness and presence among students on your campus through successful student-led initiatives and peer-driven programs proven to help reduce loneliness.
• Use data analytics to identify at-risk students by tracking engagement and well-being metrics so you can proactively address loneliness and tailor interventions accordingly. 
• Create an inclusive academic and social environment where all students feel valued and accepted by addressing any systemic issues or biases that may contribute to feelings of exclusion or isolation.
• Meet students where they are at so you can teach them the skills they need for managing themselves properly.
• Help your students find their place and get the support they need to be engaged, satisfied and successful in completing their degree program.  
  

Presenter

Dr. Peggy Crowe currently serves as the Director of the Counseling Center & Student Accessibility Resource Center at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY.
Click here for full bio.