The JED Plan
The Jed Plan
Stevens staff work closely with the Jed Foundation which provides guidance on a comprehensive approach to preventing suicide. The JED approach is shown below. Updates from Stevens regarding progress on these areas of strategic planning are linked from the side menu.
March 15, 2023 Update
Promote Social Connectedness
Stevens has introduced a number of new living-learning communities with plans to add more in the future.
The University Center has created a space that organically facilitates and encourages social connection.
The Residential Towers have significantly increased the number of students on campus and the opportunities and spaces for connection.
New traditions (e.g., Fall Festival, Attila’s Spirit Day) expand opportunities for social connectedness within the Stevens community.
Identify Students at Risk
Hundreds of faculty and staff members have now received QPR training at Stevens since its introduction in 2019.
30 staff have received Mental Health First Aid training, which CAPS began to offer in 2022. Trained staff now include members of the CARE team and many academic advisors
Developed the Red Folder, which provides a quick and simple guide for faculty and staff to assess the level of support needed by a student and offers guidance for responding to mental health concerns.
Launched a website to educate and guide students, faculty, staff, and families who have a concern about a student.
Increase Help-Seeking Behavior
In 2022, Send Silence Packing returned to campus with a powerful message on the importance of seeking help.
Also in 2022, Kevin Hines came to Stevens to tell his story of survival and the power of getting proper mental health help.
CAPS enlisted the aid of a Stevens senior design team in 2021-2022 with the goal of strengthening CAPS’ marketing and advertisement of services to students. This partnership led to a number of actionable steps including improvements to CAPS’ social media presence.
Provide Mental Health Services
CAPS After Hours, a service that provides students with access to a live crisis counselor after hours, on weekends, and holidays, was introduced to the community in 2021.
Stevens contracted with Uwill, a leading telehealth provider for university students, to provide telehealth for Stevens online students as well as any temporarily out-of-stateStevens student.
CAPS expanded its training program for doctoral interns, which has provided greater opportunities for students to meet with a counselor.
Stevens has contracted with Point and Click, a leading electronic health record system, for use in Student Health Services, CAPS, and Sports Medicine. This software allows for online appointment scheduling, for students to access a secure patient portal for sharing of confidential health data, and for embedded telehealth capabilities.
Stevens’ student health insurance provider now confirms student enrollment in the health insurance plan at multiple points throughout the academic year ensuring coverage for the entirety of a student’s enrollment.
Stevens contracted with The Shrink Space/Welltrack Connect, a HIPAA-compliant online referral software that helps students locate and connect with local therapists that best fit their mental health needs.
Establish Crisis Management Procedures
Stevens authored and adopted internal protocols that provide Student Affairs and Campus Police staff with clear procedures for addressing critical and non-critical medical and mental health incidents.
Develop Life Skills
Student Affairs staff continue to offer a wide array of life skill workshops and trainings each year on topics such as resume writing and interviewing skills, conflict resolution, mindfulness, and meditation.
In 2023 Stevens hosted Dr. Kevin Snyder for an evening address to students on the topics of cultivating resilience and a growth mindset.
December 15, 2020 Update
Promote Social Connectedness - No Duck Left Behind
New Student Orientation, though held virtually, focused on supporting students in making social connections through small group activities led by Peer Leaders, virtual 'hangouts' throughout the summer months, and some in-person social events in late August 2020.
The staff in Student Affairs developed and implemented a significant amount of programming, events and outreach for students to promote engagement and connectedness during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included quarantine & isolation virtual support groups, weekly connection groups, daily in-person events and workshops for on-campus students, and daily virtual events for all students.
The Student Affairs staff coordinated ‘Quack Chats,’ a direct outreach via telephone to every first year student at the end of the Fall 2020 semester. Staff from Student Affairs, Athletics, and Undergraduate Academics assisted with making the calls to check-in on our newest students.
Identify Students at Risk - Weave a Tighter Safety Net
In Fall of 2020, Stevens successfully rolled out a mandatory mental health training for all faculty and staff using the avatar-based 'Kognito' module. This training was well-received by the Stevens community.
President Farvardin announced a Task Force on Equity and Inclusive Excellence in Fall 2020. Recognizing the unique mental health challenges for underrepresented students, a member of the CAPS clinical staff was selected to serve on the Task Force.
Increase Help-Seeking Behavior - Make Seeking Help Our Strength
As of December 15, 2020, The Mental Health Task Force has completed its work and has submitted a final report to President Farvardin.
Provide mental health and substance abuse services - Extend More Helping Hands
CAPS was approved to hire a new full-time clinician with expertise in mental health for minority and underserved populations in Fall 2020.
CAPS increased the number of weekly hours of psychiatric services offered to students in Fall 2020.
CAPS has begun offering evening counseling hours to students in Fall 2020; these have been well-utilized.
Restrict Access to Potentially Lethal Means - Install Impulsivity Speed Bumps
Stevens is taking steps to restrict access to lethal means on campus.
Develop Life Skills - Teach our Ducks to Swim
Counseling and Psychological Services, the Career Center, Residential Education, Student Life, Wellness Education, and the Academic Support Center continue to plan and host numerous workshops to help students cope with the setbacks and challenges of college life.
Since the July 2020 update, CAPS has provided nearly 100 workshops and skill-based trainings to students both virtually and in-person.
July 15, 2020 Update
Promote Social Connectedness - No Duck Left Behind
In December, 2019, Stevens opened the Stevens Student Center, which serves as the hub for campus life at Stevens. This space supports and promotes social and cultural engagement for students with student organization offices, meeting spaces, and a game room. The Student Center houses The Commons, which has quickly become an essential space for students to congregate, as well as the Intercultural Space which encourages dialogue about race and identity, and facilitates social justice education and community action.
In the aftermath of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Student Affairs staff engaged in ‘Quack Chats,’ an ambitious telephone outreach to every enrolled undergraduate student to express care, offer support and provide resources if needed.
Student Life staff developed ‘Zoom Communities’ during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate social interaction between students sharing common interests and identities.
Identify Students at Risk - Weave a Tighter Safety Net
As of July 15, 2020, Stevens has provided QPR training (Question, Persuade & Refer) to 181 members of the EMSA division as well as to student employees (e.g. resident assistants). The following groups were trained: The CARE Team, Peer Leaders, Resident Assistants, staff in Residential Education, Athletics, Undergraduate Admissions, Student Life, Student Affairs, Career Center, Residential and Dining Services, STEP, Office of the VP of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, University Events and DeBaun Performing Arts Center. 96% of attendees stated that they would recommend the training to others, and the training received an average rating of 4.3 on a 1-5 scale (1 = poor, 5 = excellent). The area of educational growth most often noted by participants was their increase in knowledge about how to ask a student about suicide.
In Summer, 2020, Stevens will launch mandatory mental health and suicide prevention training for all faculty and staff. After consultation with students, faculty and staff, including the Student Government Association (SGA), the Faculty Senate, members of the President’s Cabinet, among others, Stevens has selected Kognito and contracted to use their interactive training module. We believe that this best-in-class training module will assist our faculty and staff in providing useful information and help reduce the stigma of getting help for mental health issues.
On Feb 12, 2020 the Director of CAPS met with the faculty of the School of Engineering and Science to provide information on student mental health, the CARE Team, and how to refer a student for support.
Increase Help-Seeking Behavior - Make Seeking Help Our Strength
As of July 15, 2020, The Mental Health Task Force has nearly completed its work. Formed in summer, 2019, The Task Force's charge is to identify ways to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and to encourage students to seek help. During the course of the 2019-2020 academic year, the full Task Force met three times. The three subgroups of the Task Force (Collaboration, Communication and Culture) each met for an additional four-to-five meetings.
Provide mental health and substance abuse services - Extend More Helping Hands
In April, 2020, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, CAPS began offering telehealth to students engaged in remote learning.
As part of the University’s plans for the return to in-person learning in the Fall, 2020 semester CAPS has been approved to hire a new full-time staff psychologist. The rationale for this approval was tied to increases in enrollment as well as anticipation of student stress related to COVID-19.
Beginning in Fall, 2020 CAPS will pilot evening hours as a means of increasing access to care for students.
Restrict Access to Potentially Lethal Means - Install Impulsivity Speed Bumps
Stevens is taking steps to restrict access to lethal means on campus.
Develop Life Skills - Teach our Ducks to Swim
Counseling and Psychological Services, the Career Center, Residential Education, Student Life, Wellness Education, and the Academic Support Center continue to plan and host numerous workshops to help students cope with the setbacks and challenges of college life.
Since the November, 2019 update CAPS has provided more than 65 workshops and skill-based trainings to students. 31 of these trainings were provided online via Zoom. Some examples of these workshops include training on distress tolerance, resilience, mindfulness, and stress management.
November 19, 2019 Update
The Jed Comprehensive Approach: Stevens' Progress as of November 19, 2019
Promote Social Connectedness - No Duck Left Behind
As of Fall 2019, Residential Education staff began developing a Residential Curriculum which will structure student learning experiences outside of the classroom and foster a more close-knit sense of community in our halls.
Residential Education purchased RoomPact software in Summer of 2019 to improve and increase connections between residential students and Residential Education staff.
The “Out of Darkness” walk was held on October 27, 2019 and 508 members of the Stevens and Hoboken communities came together to raise awareness of mental health resources.
"Name Your Story: How to Talk Openly About Mental Health," a talk by Lauren Cook, took place on October 22, 2019, co-sponsored by Alpha Phi Sorority and the CAPS office.
Identify Students at Risk - Weave a Tighter Safety Net
CAPS and Wellness staff presented sessions about mental health awareness at New Faculty Orientation.
Resident Assistants and all staff in Student Affairs participated in training on mental health awareness during Summer 2019 conducted by the staff in CAPS.
The Dean of Students and Director of Counseling attended faculty meetings to discuss mental health warning signs and the availability of the CARE team. 182 out of 306 full-time faculty attended the October faculty meeting and were able to ask questions and receive guidance on this topic.
QPR (Question Persuade Refer) is a research-supported suicide prevention training program. Four Stevens staff members (one fluent in Mandarin) have been trained as QPR instructors as of March 2019. These staff members will train additional Stevens faculty and staff during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Increase Help-Seeking Behavior - Make Seeking Help Our Strength
The first meeting of the Mental Health Task Force was held in September 2019, with a second meeting planned for December 2019. The Task Force is comprised of Stevens faculty, staff, students, alumni and a parent representative. The Task Force's charge is to identify ways to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and to encourage students to seek help.
Restrict Access to Potentially Lethal Means - Install Impulsivity Speed Bumps
Stevens' Risk and Compliance Steering Committee approved the commissioning of an environmental safety scan of the campus. A company has been hired and the scan will be conducted during the Spring 2020 semester.
Develop Life Skills - Teach our Ducks to Swim
Counseling and Psychological Services, the Career Center, Residential Education, Student Life, Wellness Education, and the Academic Support Center continue to plan and host numerous workshops to help students cope with the setbacks and challenges of college life.
Some examples of these workshops include training on resiliency, grief and loss, test anxiety, an “Adulting” series to develop life skills, fostering a good relationship with your advisor, managing stress, developing organizational skills, the annual THRIVE wellness fair, workshops about navigating the transition to college, time management and study skills, and academic success strategies.
April 15, 2019 Update
The Jed Comprehensive Approach: Stevens' Progress as of April 15, 2019
Promote Social Connectedness - No Duck Left Behind
Stevens restructured its support for residential students and created the Office of Residential Education (August 2018) to offer enhanced student programming with a greater emphasis on meaningful connections between students and staff.
In addition to the campus-wide Club Fair held each fall, 3 additional days of specialized involvement fairs were initiated in January 2019 to provide more opportunities for students to be engaged in campus life.
A traveling exhibit, “Send Silence Packing” was brought to the center of campus on Palmer Lawn in September 2018. The exhibit was designed to end the silence that surrounds mental health and suicide.
The “Out of Darkness” walk was held on October 28, 2018 and brought 625 members of the Stevens and Hoboken community together to raise awareness about suicide prevention.
On February 7, 2019, 350 students viewed a film, “What Made Maddy Run,” hosted by Athletics, about the struggles of Madison Holleran, a University of Pennsylvania student-athlete who took her life.
Identify Students at Risk - Weave a Tighter Safety Net
A faculty-focused webinar on mental health is available to all faculty on Canvas, Stevens' learning platform.
Each August, new faculty meet with staff from Counseling, Disability Services and representatives from the CARE team to learn about wellness resources at Stevens; we will be emailing these training slides to all faculty and ensuring that training is provided to faculty in multiple ways.
In-person presentations for faculty and staff on the warning signs of emotional distress and suicide prevention.
Resident Assistants and all staff in Student Affairs are trained annually on mental health awareness by the staff in CAPS.
The Dean of Students and Director of Counseling attend faculty meetings to discuss mental health warning signs and the availability of the CARE team.
Increase Help-Seeking Behavior - Make Seeking Help Our Strength
Stevens opened a Student Wellness Center in March 2019 to bring together four key areas of student well-being: Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Disability Services and Wellness Education. The Center has dedicated space for workshops, peer educators, group therapy and other new initiatives.
Provide mental health and substance abuse services - Extend More Helping Hands
In October 2018, Stevens hired a full-time Wellness Educator.
In October 2018, CAPS hired a full-time staff psychologist who is fluent in Mandarin.
A part-time drug and alcohol specialist was hired in February 2019.
Follow Crisis Management Procedures
Stevens has a well-developed Emergency Operations Plan that addresses crisis management on campus. This plan is reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees and filed with the State of New Jersey. The plan is reviewed each year and revisions and improvements are made.
Restrict Access to Potentially Lethal Means - Install Impulsivity Speed Bumps
Stevens' Risk and Compliance Steering Committee recommended that the University implement an environmental safety scan of the campus. Plans are underway to identify a company to conduct the scan.
Develop Life Skills - Teach our Ducks to Swim
Counseling and Psychological Services, the Career Center, Residential Education, Student Life, Wellness Education, and the Academic Support Center host a significant number of workshops to help students cope with the setbacks and challenges of college life.