When it comes to ensuring the mental health and well-being of our students, UNCG is one of the best. UNCG is one of just 16 schools in the United States named to The Princeton Review’s inaugural 2025 Mental Health Services Honor Roll.
“We understand the connection between how students are feeling and their ability to do well academically and personally,” says Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Cathy Akens.
“We provide an abundance of resources to ensure all students have every opportunity to thrive as Spartans.”
UNCG’s mental health services, many of them organized by Counseling and Psychological Services, let students choose from one-on-one interventions, group sessions, and engaging activities. They can develop good mental health habits, tackle the anxieties that are common with earning a degree, or turn to specialized programs for personal challenges like trauma and addiction.
It’s important that we are paying attention to all our different dimensions of health.
– Dr. Jennifer Whitney, director of Mental Health & Wellbeing in Student Health Services
UNCG faculty also advance understanding of mental health through research. They have been awarded millions of dollars in grant funding from federal and state agencies, nonprofits, and private companies that recognize the benefits of mental well-being. Some examples:
Dr. Rebecca Mathews (School of Education) trains others to recognize warning signs in order to prevent suicide. “I want to be a voice that helps individuals understand that even if they’re surrounded by darkness, there really is a pathway forward,” she says.
Dr. Anne Parsons (College of Arts and Sciences) cares deeply about the history of mental health treatment. Her exhibition, “Care and Custody: Past Responses to Mental Health,” has traveled to multiple states. “It’s important to take the history seriously, because it can lead to change,” she says.
UNCG’s Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships (Office of Research and Engagement) has emerged as a leader through programs across North Carolina. From “Bringing Out the Best,” which helps children overcome behavioral, social, and emotional challenges, to its “High Fidelity Wraparound” training process, the 20-year-old center has received a record-breaking $6.8 million in funding.
Photograph by Sean Norona ’13