JED Campus
Enhancing Our Commitment to Wellness
Creighton has joined JED Campus, a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation (JED). It involves collaborating with JED Campus clinicians and staff to identify opportunities to build upon existing efforts related to student wellbeing and substance abuse and suicide prevention. We’ve established an interdisciplinary team, which includes members from the Student Life Senior Leadership team, Student Health Education and Compliance, Student Counseling Services, the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct and Recreation and Wellness, to assess, support and implement improvements with assistance from the JED Campus team. By working with JED Campus, Creighton is committing to building stronger mental health safety nets for each student and our community as a whole.
About The JED Campus Program
The JED Campus program is built upon The Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention on College and University Campuses, which was developed by JED and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and reviewed by multiple experts in mental health and higher education. This approach is considered a consensus best practice by the AFSP/SPRC best practice registry. JED and SPRC based their comprehensive approach on the Air Force suicide prevention program, which has been shown to decrease rates of suicide, homicide, and accidental deaths.
JED Campus combines the content of The Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention on College and University Campuses with expert recommendations related to promoting well-being and limiting substance abuse in young adults. While most schools provide direct counseling services, they often haven’t implemented a holistic, campus-wide approach to mental health. Schools that join the JED Campus program benefit from enhancing the great work they’re already doing—discovering new, innovative ways to support the emotional wellbeing of their students.
JED Campus believes that the implementation of a campus-wide approach to mental health promotion will lead to safer, healthier students and campuses, and possibly greater student retention.
How JED Campus Works
JED Campus’ four-year collaboration with schools includes:
- An in-depth, confidential assessment that evaluates a school’s current efforts related to promoting mental health and preventing substance abuse and suicide; the feedback report identifies successes and opportunities for enhancements
- An on-campus meeting with a JED Campus clinician to discuss the feedback report, generate goals for improvement, and develop a strategic (or action) plan that will serve as a roadmap to implement enhancements over the course of the program
- A dedicated Campus Advisor who will provide continued support and resources to help each school achieve its goals
- Participation in the JED Campus Learning Community, a network of JED Campus schools that share learnings and experiences as well as presentations and discussions on specific topics of interest that emerge from work with JED Campus schools
- Access to an in-depth, on-line resource library
- A virtual or in-person meeting with a JED Campus clinician toward the end of the program to review progress and set future goals for growth and sustainability
- The JED Campus membership seal to signify their commitment to student well-being
This report contains suggestions—not mandates—for schools to consider in their policy and programming efforts. It includes an assessment of campus resources in relation to JED’s Model for Comprehensive Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Colleges and Universities, a consolidation of factors known to help in promoting emotional well-being, preventing suicide, and limiting substance use.
Each school’s own self-assessment responses, which are used to develop the report, are reviewed relative to seven strategic imperatives:
- Developing life skills
- Promoting connectedness
- Identifying students at risk
- Increasing help-seeking behavior
- Providing mental health, substance, and crisis services
- Following crisis management procedures
- Restricting access to potentially lethal means
