In March of 2016, the Learn to Live program was brought to Gustavus.
The program was launched originally in 2013 by CEO Dale Cook and Co-Founder and Chief Psychology Officer Dr. Russ Morfitt.
Before being brought to Gustavus, the program was primarily used for businesses to offer to their employees.
Gustavus was the first college to have offered Learn to Live to its students.
Now, the U of M and St. Thomas also offer the program to their students.
“We want to make sure that our students have access to a variety of resources and tools to address the mental health issues they are facing,” Gustavus Associate Dean of Students, Stephen Bennett said.
Learn to Live offers customized online programs based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
It provides online self-help programs and support to address psychological problems including anxiety, depression, stress, and worry.
It is evident that in the past few years there has been an increase in the prevalence and serenity of mental health issues among students on college campuses.
“According to the 2015 American College Health Association—National College Health Assessment, 85% of college students report feeling overwhelmed and stressed at some point during the year. We brought the Learn to Live online mental health programs to campus as an additional resource to help Gustavus students struggling with stress, depression, and anxiety,” Bennett said.
Mental Illnesses are more prominent than most college students think.
Students often seem surprised when they see the statistics.
“Anxiety has surpassed depression as the leading cause of mental health distress in college students. Moreover, more than half of college students report anxiety as a concern, and 1 of 6 have been diagnosed with or treated for anxiety or depression. Depression affects almost 15% of college students,” Bennett stated.
Learn to Live offers various benefits for mental health.
“One of the benefits of the Learn to Live platform is that you can access it 24/7. Gustavus students typically have very busy schedules, so having access to a program that can be done outside of typical business hours is really convenient,” Health Service Nurse Practitioner, Jessica Braun said.
Research has shown that online therapy programs have the potential to be as effective as face-to-face therapy.
“Learn to Live is based on the guiding principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the studies have shown that it can be as effective as in-person counseling. It is also a great adjunct therapy to in-person counseling and/or medication therapy,” Braun said.
When you access the programs that Learn to Live offers you can do so anonymously and at any time.
All of your information that you provide to Learn to Live is entirely confidential and will not be shared with anyone.
Learn to Live is also free to Gustavus students.
“It can be intimidating to talk about challenges with our mental health. Learn to Live is a platform for those who are intimidated or quite honestly, scared, to ask for help in person. Its program is designed to help people learn tools to help manage their symptoms,” Braun stated.
When you first begin Learn to Live you can take a comprehensive assessment that measures whether depression, stress, or anxiety is impacting you and will help guide you towards the right program.
“When students initially log on to Learn to Live and input the code, they have free access to any of the Learn to Live programs. The first step is to take the Comprehensive Assessment. Those results will guide which programs are recommended, but people can choose to take whatever, or all, programs they desire,” Braun said.
Gustavus has been tracking their utilization rates for students using the Learn to Live program.
“In 2016 we had 206 students, which is about 9% of the student population, complete the online assessments and utilize the online programs,” Bennett said.
Not only could the college see the number of students who accessed the program, but they were able to gather statistics.
“In terms of clinical relevance, 50% of student who used the program had not been in therapy or recently involved in therapy. 25% reported Learn to Live enhance their current face-to-face therapy. And, 20% were inspired by Learn to Live to start face-to-face therapy,” Bennett said.
Learn to Live is sponsored by the Gustavus Counseling Center, Health Service, and Dean of Students Offices.
It is a platform that offers free tools to help students understand and deal with the pressures they may be facing due to their anxiety, stress, or depression.
“We are really fortunate at Gustavus to have a Counseling Center, and Health Service staffed with excellent professionals who want students to be healthy and successful. Learn to Live is another tool we have at our disposal to help make this a reality for those who may be struggling or who just want to learn more tools in coping with whatever issues they may have,” Braun said.
If Learn to Live is something you are interested in trying out you can go to Learntolive.com/partners and enter the code: Gustavus.