Many counseling and mental health advocates have advocated that greater attention needs to be placed on international students. The NAFSA 2019 conference included a program reporting lower awareness of mental health services and lower levels of use that are attributable to a variety of causes including cultural barriers, fear of being reported to immigration authorities, and belief that struggling with mental health is a sign of weakness.
During the NAFSA session, Xuhua Qin of Tufts University commented that international students may prefer counselors who share their culture or speak their language but she also said that this should not be assumed. Qin encouraged faculty and staff who work with international students to ask what the student needs and make the call or go with them to the counseling center. The bottom line is that international students wish that someone would simply ask how they are doing and care enough to help the student get to services that can assist them.
The reports of international student mental health needs should be considered in the broader context of the campus environment. Research on international students indicate that they have few friends and often feel isolated on campus. Qin's comments above indicate the critical importance of belonging and affirmation to a sense of well being. Mental health isn't just about clinical analysis and intervention. The medical model often proscribes treatment when, as Gary Glass indicates, a shift to a community model may reach more students and respond more appropriately to all students' needs. He indicated that "Through increased training across departments at our colleges and universities, or simply through a little moral courage, people on our campuses can have intricate conversations to improve students' lives - emotionally, interpersonally and spiritually."
During the NAFSA session, Xuhua Qin of Tufts University commented that international students may prefer counselors who share their culture or speak their language but she also said that this should not be assumed. Qin encouraged faculty and staff who work with international students to ask what the student needs and make the call or go with them to the counseling center. The bottom line is that international students wish that someone would simply ask how they are doing and care enough to help the student get to services that can assist them.
The reports of international student mental health needs should be considered in the broader context of the campus environment. Research on international students indicate that they have few friends and often feel isolated on campus. Qin's comments above indicate the critical importance of belonging and affirmation to a sense of well being. Mental health isn't just about clinical analysis and intervention. The medical model often proscribes treatment when, as Gary Glass indicates, a shift to a community model may reach more students and respond more appropriately to all students' needs. He indicated that "Through increased training across departments at our colleges and universities, or simply through a little moral courage, people on our campuses can have intricate conversations to improve students' lives - emotionally, interpersonally and spiritually."
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