UND Bolsters Student Mental Health with New Counseling, Peer Support

The University of North Dakota launched expanded mental health resources for students, including bolstered counseling services through the University Counseling Center and Student Health Services, plus new peer support programs. Initially reported by the Minot Daily News, the effort addresses escalating demands on the Grand Forks campus, where Student Health Services at Northern Prairie Community Clinic in Columbia Hall provides integrated care. A February 14 session highlighted the collaboration between these departments, detailing referral processes and campus locations for mental health support.[5][6] This student-focused expansion ties into UND's broader Behavioral Health Initiative, a tri-college effort uniting colleges to recruit faculty for research, grants and programming on behavioral health in rural North Dakota. The initiative collaborates with state agencies and providers, funneling $5 million over five years to ND HOPES, which bolsters existing mental health hotlines and resources. Andrew McLean, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at UND's School of Medicine and Health Sciences, emphasized the need for reliable information amid pandemic-era 'noise,' especially in rural areas.[1][2][3] Grand Forks students benefit from these ties, with telehealth playing a key role post-COVID-19. A study on North Dakota and Minnesota showed rapid telehealth adoption for substance use and mental health disorders during the pandemic, sustaining access amid policy changes. Local referrals include Susan J. Thompson, PhD, at Midwest Neuropsychology in Grand Forks, enhancing community-campus links for comprehensive care.[4][6]