[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-579986-105":59,"doc-detail-579986-en":129},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":122,"head_meta":124,"extra_data":126,"updated_unix":128},105,"en","sel-in-higher-education-practical-recommendations-for-professors-to-support-mental-health-concerns","SEL in Higher Education - Practical Recommendations for Professors to Support Mental Health Concerns","","The United States is experiencing a sharp rise in mental health concerns among college students, affecting attendance, participation, and assignment completion. Poor academic performance tied to these concerns contributes to students considering dropping out, reducing qualified candidates for workforce needs. Professors may not be clinicians, yet can reshape teaching, assessment, and feedback. Embedding Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in course design offers practical support strategies for students’ academic, social, and emotional growth.",{"@graph":69,"@context":121},[70,84,104],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/sel-in-higher-education-practical-recommendations-for-professors-to-support-mental-health-concerns/579986/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":98,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":99,"interactionStatistic":100},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/sel-in-higher-education-practical-recommendations-for-professors-to-support-mental-health-concerns/579986.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Asher","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":101,"interactionType":102,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":103},"ViewAction",{"@type":105,"mainEntity":106},"FAQPage",[107,113,117],{"name":108,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":110},"How do mental health concerns affect college students’ academic engagement?","Question",{"text":111,"@type":112},"Mental health concerns are associated with decreased attendance, limited class participation, and missing assignments, which can reduce academic performance.","Answer",{"name":114,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":115},"Why does poor mental health support matter for higher education and society?",{"text":116,"@type":112},"Students’ decisions to leave or avoid higher education can reduce the number of qualified candidates for career areas experiencing labor shortages.",{"name":118,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":119},"What role can professors play when they are not trained mental health professionals?",{"text":120,"@type":112},"Professors can detect early warning signs, reduce stigma, adjust teaching strategies and assessment practices, provide supportive feedback, and connect students to campus resources.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":123,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":125,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":127,"site_id":62},579986,1792080047,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":130},{"doc_id":127,"user_id":131,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":132,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":133,"file_id":134,"file_url":135,"file_type":136,"file_size":137,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":46,"language":138,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":139,"faqs":140,"seo_title":141,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":142,"read_time":31},687197207639,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","SEL in Higher Education: Practical Recommendations for Professors to Support  \nMental Health Concerns  \nBrittany Severino, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, [bseverino@wcupa.edu](bseverino@wcupa.edu)[ ](bseverino@wcupa.edu)Emma Oswald, Wester Chester University of Pennsylvania  \nAbstract: The United States is currently experiencing a drastic increase in mental health concerns among college students, impacting professors, higher education institutions, and society (Flannery, 2023) . The social and emotional well-being of students is essential for them to thrive in the college setting. Professors across the nation are noting decreased attendance, limited class participation, and missing assignments (Basken, 2023) . Poor performance in academic classes due to mental health concerns is one of the leading factors for college students considering dropping out (McPhillips, 2023) . This has a direct impact on society as it creates fewer qualified candidates for various career areas that are experiencing a shortage of qualified workers (Ferguson, 2024) . Professors are one piece of the puzzle to help combat this crisis. They may not be trained mental health professionals, but can alter their teaching strategies, assessment procedures, or feedback to help college students grow academically, socially, and emotionally. One practice for professors to consider is embedding Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) within their course design and delivery to support students with mental health concerns. This article will provide practical recommendations for how that task can be accomplished in various content and delivery methods.  \nKeywords: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Higher Education, Teaching Pedagogy, Mental Health  \nCitation: Severino, B.; & Oswald, E. (2026, January) . SEL in higher education: Practical recommendations for professors to support mental health concerns. Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education, 8 (1), 44-63.  \nMental health concerns are prevalent among students in higher education. Utilizing results from a World Health Organization (WHO) survey, Auerbach et al. (2018) determined that 35% of full-time undergraduate students met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria for one lifetime disorder, and 31% met the diagnostic for at least one disorder lasting 12 months. The survey did not assess every potential DSM-IV diagnosis, so these percentages are likely higher. Mental health concerns and emotional distress are significant contributing factors to young adults deciding not to enroll in higher education, as well as choosing to withdraw from higher education (PR Newswire, 2023) . A study conducted by the Gallup and Lumina Foundation found that 77% of college-aged individuals attribute emotional distress as a significant contributing factor to declining higher education, and 73% identified mental health as greatly impacting their decision not to continue education (PR Newswire, 2023) . For college-aged individuals to complete their degrees, improvements need to be made in mental health support on college campuses.  \nUniversity Resources for Students  \nColleges and universities need to address the mental health concerns among college students. Many students rely on institutional support services such as counseling and therapy offices, with those who take advantage of these services reporting improved social and emotional well-being as well as increased college retention (Francis & Horn, 2016) . The Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) has identified offering counseling services asa high-impact practice, with approximately 70% of students indicating increased academic performance and 60% reporting that the services helped them remain in school (2020) . However, not all college students who need support services access these counseling or therapy centers. More than half of adults with a mental health disorder do not receive ","cbCaiewCGHVUZpJY","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiewCGHVUZpJY","pdf",219122,"English","# Abstract\n# University Resources for Students\n# Professor’s Role\n## Supporting Students Through Course Design","[{\"question\":\"How do mental health concerns affect college students’ academic engagement?\",\"answer\":\"Mental health concerns are associated with decreased attendance, limited class participation, and missing assignments, which can reduce academic performance.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does poor mental health support matter for higher education and society?\",\"answer\":\"Students’ decisions to leave or avoid higher education can reduce the number of qualified candidates for career areas experiencing labor shortages.\"},{\"question\":\"What role can professors play when they are not trained mental health professionals?\",\"answer\":\"Professors can detect early warning signs, reduce stigma, adjust teaching strategies and assessment practices, provide supportive feedback, and connect students to campus resources.\"}]","SEL in Higher Education - Practical Recommendations for Professors to Support Mental Health Concerns | PDF",1792036728]