Colleges and universities have welcomed a rising number of students with mental health symptoms into the campus community.  Almost universally, student affairs administrators and counseling staff have occupied an increasingly significant role in meeting the immediate needs of such students.  At the same time, institutions across the country have taken different approaches to managing the public safety, self-harm, and compliance challenges arising from incidents related to student mental health.  In addition, recent court decisions illustrate the changing expectations in this area by attempting to define the contours of the appropriate response by higher education institutions to such incidents.  As these developments unfold, institutions will be prompted to comprehensively review all aspects of their responses to the challenges of student mental health, including effective training for front-line faculty and staff, threat assessment protocols, related compliance obligations, and balancing the needs of a multitude of stakeholders with enhanced expectations.

This webinar aims to review updates on academic studies and the law related to student mental health, as well as to provide key considerations in managing and responding to student mental health issues on campus.  Specifically, this webinar will cover:

• Overview of academic studies on post-secondary student mental health and emerging mental health trends among the student population
• Recent litigation contributing to institutions’ rapidly evolving standard of care and liability on student mental health
• Effective training and communication protocols for the campus community, particularly faculty and staff
• Overview of key considerations in conducting threat assessments
• Important considerations in engaging with and responding to student mental health issues, including balancing the needs and rights of students, students’ families, and potential victims while complying with FERPA and ADA requirements.

Who Should Attend

This webinar will be of interest to inside and outside counsel to colleges and universities, as well as administrators including student conduct staff, student affairs staff, disability services staff, compliance directors, and members of threat assessment and incident response teams.