Clark State College has been awarded a grant from the Community Health Foundation for an interactive mental health screening program from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Melinda Van Noord, counseling coordinator at Clark State, said the screening is voluntary and anonymous.

“In this program, students sign up with a user ID and password and take the Stress and Depression Questionnaire,” she said. “After completing it, they receive a personalized response from a Clark State counselor, which includes recommendations, support, and referral information.”

Van Noord said students can choose to make an appointment with Clark State's Counseling Center or they can continue to message a counselor anonymously for support or to request more information.

“This is a very unique feature which can help students feel more comfortable about seeking counseling,” said Van Noord.

Stress, anxiety, and the pressures of school and day-to-day life can affect anyone. Sometimes those pressures can negatively affect happiness, relationships with others, school performance, and feelings and beliefs.

Students can begin the mental health screening at clarkstate.caresforyou.org. The voluntary and anonymous questionnaire is designed to help students assess their current state of mental health and well-being. Once completed, a campus counselor will review the questionnaire and provide the student with a personalized response. The response will include information and resources for connecting to support.

Nina Wiley, assistant vice president of student affairs at Clark State, said the anonymity of the screening will hopefully encourage more students to complete the assessment and ultimately connect them to services and resources on campus and/or in the community.

“As we continue to serve students through a culture of care lens, we work to maintain a safe environment where our students can ask for help,” she said. “Removing barriers when seeking assistance is key. The mental health screenings align with our goal to improve mental health services for students using our emphasis on trauma-informed practices.”