A Critical Framework for Supporting Faculty and Staff Mental Health and Well-Being

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities were ramping up their services to address the mental health crisis among students as depression, anxiety, loneliness, suicide, and other issues were on the rise. The pandemic exacerbated these mental health problems and also made it clear that students are not the only ones experiencing mental illness or mental distress—faculty, staff, and administrators are as well, and vocally so for perhaps the first time. Because the primary mission of most institutions of higher education is to serve students, it’s easy to understand why attention to faculty and staff well-being was considered a lower priority. Moreover, workplace well-being initiatives often reside in human resources organizations, while faculty often do not consider themselves employees, thereby not knowing about or taking advantage of HR offerings that might support well-being and overall wellness.