Harvard addresses student mental health with new task force
This semester, the Office of the Provost convened a task force on managing student mental health to begin to assess and respond to significant increases in both student self-reports of mental health issues and the subsequent use of related services — an uptick that reflects a national trend in higher education over the past several years. The task force is charged with examining how Harvard can best address the mix of academic, social, and institutional issues that have the potential to influence student mental health, while looking beyond traditional services toward a more holistic model of care. The Gazette sat down with the task force’s three chairs, Grafstein Family Professor of Sociology Mario Small, McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Emma Dench, and Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology Matt Nock, to discuss what they hope...