Chicago Center community,
At the Chicago Center, the well-being of our students—fundamental to both academic success and personal growth—is of the utmost importance. In line with national trends, in recent years we have seen a significant increase in the demand for mental health services by students across our program.
In the spring 2022 semester, the Chicago Center began exploring additional options to meet an increase in demand for student counseling and mental health support. In March 2022, we expanded our mental health counseling services to students through a partnership with MySSP. MySSP connects students to credentialed, Masters-level counselors to help them successfully address their mental health challenges. Students can access scheduled counseling sessions, 24/7 on-demand services after downloading the MySSP and registering with their school email address.
In addition to services on a student’s home campus, students enrolled at the Chicago Center are able to access the MySSP program free of charge.
As part of the Chicago Center’s continued effort to support student mental health and wellbeing in Chicago, I’m convening a group of staff and board members to form the Chicago Center’s first Mental Health Task Force. This group will begin a comprehensive assessment of student mental health support across the different areas of our program and develop forward-thinking, actionable recommendations before the end of the year.
Task Force Members
Greer Anderson, SU’18, Admissions Officer, Chair
Tiff Beatty, J’07, Board Member
Chelsea Cooks, FA’20, Communications Coordinator
Cameron Dreher-Siefkes, SU’09, Deputy Director
Nancy Friesen, J’79, FA’79, Student Teaching Program Director
I’m grateful for the members of the task force for taking on roles that allow the Chicago Center to holistically review support for student mental health and wellbeing. I look forward to sharing more updates with you later this semester.
Tyler L. Hough, MS (he/him)
Executive Director