Creating a Culture of Wellness at Center for Wellness and Spirituality in Delaney Hall
For more than 20 years, Delaney Hall has represented the history and mission of Holy Family as a residence for CSFN Sisters, full of love and grace. Today, Delaney Hall is now home to our Center for Wellness and Spirituality, bringing together a focus on holistic growth of our campus community in health, wellness and spirit, reflecting the wider recognition of the value of providing students with proactive, easily available, and all-encompassing overall health support.
Awareness of mental health and acknowledgement of its critical role in academic success and general well-being have significantly increased in recent years. College students in particular deal with many pressures, including social difficulties, the need to become independent, and financial and academic responsibilities.
The new Center expands offerings to students from elective support services to incorporating a holistic approach, including a recently remodeled Zen Den where students can go to decompress from life’s stresses and practice a “pause” in order to return to the “ring.” Additionally, the Collegiate Recovery program assists students facing substance abuse issues. The University Chapel is also housed at the Center for Wellness and Spirituality, assisting students in pursuing their religious interests and hosting daily masses for the campus and community. Students can find space to engage with a clinician on mental health and find solace in reflection within our Chapel.
It is often known that college students are becoming more and more in need of mental health support due to the nature of life’s demands while attempting to accomplish a degree. Anxiety and depression rank among the most common mental health issues influencing academic performance, according to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment.
Students struggle with both academic and personal issues, which can result in stress, burnout, and a decline in well-being. Furthermore, post-pandemic societal changes have made mental health problems worse, as seen by a rise in reports of loneliness, future uncertainty, and trouble transitioning to face-to-face learning settings.
College counseling centers used to be a “come as you need” service that catered mostly to students who were already experiencing a crisis. With this type of reactive system, many students were often left without support until their mental health problems were in crisis. With the conversion from the Counseling Center to the Center for Wellness and Spirituality, Holy Family places an emphasis on a preventative, all-encompassing approach to student mental health, ensuring that services are not only accessible but also actively promoted as an essential component of campus life.
A thorough outreach campaign, including workshops, initiatives to raise awareness of mental health issues, the importance of spiritual and/or religious reflection and connectedness, and partnerships with student and faculty organizations, fosters an environment where asking for assistance is seen as a strength rather than a sign of weakness, normalizing wellness care. Frequent wellness activities help students develop coping mechanisms and resilience by encouraging them to use mental health resources before problems worsen. Holy Family promotes a culture where mental health is a shared responsibility, incorporating these services into regular student life.
To accommodate the various demands of its student body (including different schedules and preferences), the university has also increased the scope of its counseling services, providing choices for virtual counseling, alternative hours availability, crisis intervention, and individual and group therapy. The quality of care is enhanced by counselors who understand the unique cultural and personal experiences of students.
The Center allows for a thorough safety net where students receive both academic and emotional support, which is ensured by an integrated approach with collaboration between academic personnel and the counseling team.
By placing a high priority on proactive, easily available, and inclusive mental health care, Holy Family is demonstrating its commitment to its students’ overall development, with the understanding that their achievement goes beyond the classroom. Students’ well-being is improved, and the campus community is strengthened, thanks to this paradigm shift from voluntary care to necessary support. The institution is laying the groundwork for a generation of students who are healthier and more resilient by investing in mental health initiatives and continuing to innovate.