Building a long-term mental health strategy on campus: insights from industry leaders

Togetherall is a social impact organization committed to expanding access to mental health services through scalable solutions that complement traditional care. Held accountable by our Guardian Council, we believe lasting change requires strategic planning and strong collaboration among organizations, services, peers, and leaders in the collegiate mental health space. 

In our recent webinar, “What’s your 10-year mental health strategy? Key concepts for long-term success”, higher education leaders and mental health experts from the American Council on Education (ACE), The Jed Foundation (JED), the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH), and Togetherall came together to answer the question that should be on everyone’s mind: how do colleges and universities build sustainable, long-term mental health plans for student success? 

More than 750 registrants shared their top barriers in creating a long-term plan and panelists responded by sharing resources, strategies, and a wealth of supporting materials to assist leaders in overcoming these barriers. Below is a comprehensive overview of our discussion – the first of many. We’re eager to continue the conversation on advancing collegiate mental health through long-term planning. 

The top four barriers to creating a long-term mental health strategy (according to you!) and how to work around them

1. Funding and financial constraints

Unsurprisingly, funding was the most cited barrier. Institutions face unpredictable budgets, limited staff, and growing student demand. So how can they plan 10 years ahead?

Key takeaways:

• Create a 10-year roadmap – even if it’s aspirational.
• Start by assessing current resources, services, and staffing using national benchmarks (e.g., AUCCCD, IACS, CCMH).
• Align your goals with stakeholders across campus before launching major advocacy efforts.
• Utilize tools like ROI calculators to quantify the value of mental health services or the Clinical Load Index (CLI) to match services to funding levels.
• Put into practice resources like ACE’s State Advocacy Toolkit aiming to help leaders make the case to legislators for increased mental health funding.

“Strategic planning is about the long game. It’s not about a magic solution — it’s about alignment, consistency, and adaptability.”

– Ben Locke, Ph.D., Chief Clinical Officer, Togetherall

2. Staffing and human resources

Even when funding is available, staffing shortages and high turnover disrupt service delivery. According to the Collegiate Center for Mental Health at Penn State (CCMH), turnover in counseling centers has ranged from 12% to 18% annually in recent years.

Recommendations:

• Make campus leadership aware of why staff turnover is at an all-time high with articles like these.
• Move beyond hiring to “right-size” your center using the Clinical Load Index (CLI) calculator, which quantifies caseloads per clinician and correlates with treatment outcomes.
• Address clinician burnout by offering hybrid work and competitive salaries (benchmarked beyond higher ed), and career ladders that encourage staff retention. Use resources like this one from AUCCCD to establish fair pay.
• Develop training programs that not only build capacity but serve as pipelines for future hires.
• Partner with other campus units – like HR, health promotion, student affairs, and faculty support – to share the workload.

“You can’t do it all from the counseling center. Mental health strategy is a team sport.”

– Mark Patishnock, Ph.D., Vice President, School Programs Implementation, The Jed Foundation (JED)

3. Leadership and administrative challenges

Frequent changes in university leadership make it difficult to maintain momentum. More than half of college presidents are expected to turn over within five years (ACE, 2023).

Strategies for stability:

• Document everything – goals, rationale, processes – so new leaders aren’t starting from scratch.
• Educate incoming leadership on how mental health initiatives align with institutional priorities like retention and student success.
• Collaborate through assembling mental health task forces with institutional leadership
• Turn to aggregate resources like AUCCCD’s piece on navigating a path forward in higher ed mental health

“When leadership changes, the whole vision can shift. You need to plan for that from the start.”

– Hollie Chesman, Ph.D., Director & Principal Program Officer, American Council on Education (ACE)

4. The ever-changing student mental health landscape

Student needs are evolving fast. With nearly 39% of counseling center clients showing suicide risk (CCMH) and many others facing identity-based stress, food/housing insecurity, and complex trauma, a one-size-fits-all solutions won’t cut it – i.e., traditional care pathways like 1:1 therapy are appropriate for some, but not for others.

What institutions can do:

• Build tiered support systems (stepped care model, continuum of care) – prevention, intervention, crisis care – so students are met where they are on their mental health journey.
• Identify and stay on top of current trends in student mental health using aggregate resources, like this one. Staying apprised of diagnostic trends is equally important.
• Use data to identify who is being served – and maybe more importantly, who isn’t. Peer-to-peer communities and virtual supports often reach students who never walk into a clinic (or raise their hand in class).
• Be cautious about what’s “evidence-based” – look for research that reflects your population and measures outcomes that matter.
• Understand how your strategies work together to produce long-term results.

“It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what works – and knowing why it works.”

– Brett Scofield, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State (CCMH)

Final thoughts

Whether you’re a small community college or a flagship university, the message was clear: strategic mental health planning is for everyone.

The barriers are real – but so are the opportunities.

With thoughtful data use, inclusive coalitions, and a long-term lens, institutions can create sustainable mental health ecosystems that can serve student needs today and pave a path of success for future students.

“If a third grader asked you today, ‘What are you doing to make sure I flourish when I get to college in 10 years? What would you say?”

– Mark Patishnock, Ph.D., Vice President, School Programs Implementation, The Jed Foundation (JED)

Stay tuned for:

• A recording of our April 1 webinar
• A comprehensive resource guide
• A series of webinars on this topic featuring a host of experts
• A hub on our website where you can go for all things long-term collegiate student mental health strategy

About Togetherall     

To date, Togetherall is available to 4.5 million students worldwide at more than 450 colleges and universities. Togetherall is the leading clinically managed, peer-to-peer, online support community where students can share what’s on their minds, anonymously, safely, and in-the-moment, 24/7/365. Students can connect through shared lived experiences with a global network of peers, backed by the safeguarding of real, live, licensed clinicians overseeing the community around-the-clock. These clinicians empower members in peer-to-peer support and foster and maintain a safe, vibrant environment.      

If you are interested in offering safe and scalable ways to support your students’ mental health, contact us to find out more about Togetherall’s online community.