You are invited to a webinar...
How colleges and universities are coping with a second pandemic – mental health – in the era of COVID-19.

Learn from experts AND students about needed support as we adjust into the next school year and this "new normal".

Tuesday, June 1, 2021 • 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST
WICHE Partners
To introduce the webinar, our WICHE partners will provide an overview of relevant data and findings about mental health on college campuses.
Genevieve Berry is the Project Manager for the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MP-MHTTC), a WICHE project that operates in partnership with the University of North Dakota. Before joining the WICHE Behavioral Health Program team, Genevieve worked for the state of Colorado on state-funded broadband programs for rural communities and the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities at the University of Colorado, where she developed accessible content and products for people with cognitive disabilities.
Patrick Lane is the vice president of WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit, overseeing a range of research products and postsecondary policy initiatives focused on improving access to and success in postsecondary education throughout the West, with a focus on those groups that have been poorly served by our existing systems. He came to WICHE having spent several years working in education policy in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
This webinar will feature two panels

  • A panel of college students, who are leaders of exemplary Active Minds chapters at New England colleges and universities, will speak to their experience providing peer support for mental health when made more challenging because of the pandemic.

  • A panel of mental health experts will share their perspective on how COVID-19 has impacted mental health services on campus. They will identify what the key challenges have been, how they’ve been responding to the increased demand for clinicians, and what practices have been most successful thus far.
Meet our Panelists!
Active Minds
Kathleen Early has been Sacred Heart University’s Athletics Mental Health Counselor since August 2019. She earned a master's in clinical mental health counseling as well as her bachelor's degree from Fairfield University, where she was also an assistant coach to the woman's soccer team. She provides student-athletes with support of their overall well-being through individual counseling, educational training, group counseling and programming. Kathleen strives to create a culture of help-seeking and inclusion that reduces the stigma surrounding mental health, by normalizing these conversations. Kathleen’s work focuses on the holistic development of student-athletes, and the belief that the healthier you are as a whole person, the better you will perform.
 
Sydney Wolf is a third-year bachelor’s of social work student at the University of New England (UNE) in Maine and plans to continue there to earn her master’s in social work. She is the founding president of Active Minds UNE, a chapter of a national mental health organization focused on changing the conversation about mental health. Thanks to her work with the UNE administration, changes have been made within the university which benefit student mental health.
Sophia Shieh is a student at Boston College pursuing a bachelor's and master's in Applied Psychology and Human Development. She serves on the national Student Advisory Committee for Active Minds and as co-president of the college’s Active Minds chapter. Currently, she is also a research assistant and mental health specialist at McLean Hospital, and clinical assistant at Boston Child Study Center. She has experience supporting mental health in a variety of settings, from correctional facilities to hospitals. Her area of interest is intersectional issues related to mental health, especially accessibility, cultural humility and trauma-informed care in higher education institutions and medical settings.
Liz Siegfried will be a junior next year at the University of Vermont. She is a dedicated member of the Active Minds chapter at UVM and served as its president for the last two years. Liz is also the community communications coordinator at NAMI Vermont, a state organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In her work at both Active Minds and NAMI VT her goal is to ensure that all community members are receiving the help and support they need.
Michelle Boulay is enrolled as a part-time student in the human services program at Quinsigamond Community College in Massachusetts.
She has been president of the college’s Active Minds chapter since it was established at Quinsigamond in September 2020.
Behavioral Health Experts
Laura Murphy is Associate Dean for Health and Wellness and Director of Counseling Services at Worcester State University. She received both her bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as a C.A.G.S, from Assumption University. Laura has 31 years of experience in higher education mental health and has worked in Worcester State University's counseling center since 1989.
Craig Burns serves as Director of the University Counseling Services at Boston College. Craig has worked in college mental health for the past 16 years, and as Director has focused on increasing accessibility of mental health services for students.  
Caitlin Nevins is the Director of Psychological Services in McLean Hospital's College Mental Health Program, a unique initiative that serves students from over 200 colleges, universities and secondary schools. In this role, she oversees the clinical, research, outreach, and training initiatives of the program, with an emphasis on supporting student identity and well-being. Caitlin serves as Senior Advisor to McLean's Antiracist, Justice, and Health Equity Committee and as a member of McLean's Multicultural Psychology Consultation Team. 
About NEBHE

Founded in 1955 by six visionary New England governors, NEBHE brings together leaders of education, higher education, government, business and labor to forge partnerships and advance ideas that enhance the economy and quality of life in the six-state region and around the world. NEBHE works to increase the education opportunities for New England residents and to promote collaboration among the region's colleges and universities to expand access, success, affordability and the economic impact of higher education.
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