At the age of 18, foster youth are considered adults and typically released from the state's custody and left alone to transition into adulthood with little to no support. The lack of support that these youth experience forces many of them to seek refuge at colleges and universities. Prior to completing this study, I discovered that there is no…

The United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis, with youth and young adults at the center. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 50 percent of college students reported at least one mental health concern. The COVID-19 pandemic notably exacerbated these issues and underscored the urgent need to identify and implement ways to…

The United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis, with youth and young adults at the center. Even before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nearly 50 percent of college students reported at least one mental health concern. Without adequate mental health support, college students, including those at community colleges,…

College students' positive mental health is integral to academic success, the college experience, overall health, and success after graduation. The emerging adulthood developmental period is marked by identity exploration and transitional stress, creating a peak time for the onset of mental health disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated…

Community colleges are a critical access point to higher education for undocumented students, yet undocumented community college students often report feelings of "constrained inclusion" due to the limitations created by their citizenship status (Negrón-Gonzales, 2017). In this article, we review existing research on undocumented…

The American Association of Community Colleges has determined over 40% of the population attending a post-secondary institution is enrolled in a two-year community college. The majority of this student population could be described as nontraditional, including first-generation students, underrepresented populations, and single parents working full…

As the COVID-19 pandemic has proved, maintaining student financial wellness is key to keeping students enrolled. The Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) was administered a year and a half into the pandemic, during a time when vaccinations were allowing schools to return to in-person learning, but the pandemic was continuing to have a strong…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to a) understand the role of campus counselors who serve as both academic advisors and mental health professionals in a counseling center that intentionally combines advising and counseling and b) how combining counseling and advising affects academic success of students with mental health issues.…

In a recent survey of 4,000 community college students, half reported experiencing a mental health condition. American College Counseling Association's (ACCA) fifth annual survey of personal and mental health counseling at community colleges provides some data from 159 professionals at two-year colleges in 41 states and Puerto Rico. Among the…

Community college counseling is often not well understood in the "university-centric" higher education community. In fact, work at community college counseling centers typically involves an exaggerated version of the challenges found at university counseling centers. At a community college, there are usually vastly fewer resources from…

One key objective of California's Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Student Mental Health (SMH) initiative funded under Proposition 63 is to establish a formal process for ongoing collaboration between higher education systems and county mental health, as well as to increase collaboration among higher education campuses to improve student…

According to the 2008 U.S. Census, there are 15.5 million Asian Americans in the United States, and 17% are students enrolled in a university (Shea & Yeh, 2008). Asian American college students in higher education are oftentimes perceived as the "model minority" with high academic achievements and few mental and/or behavioral…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze the perceptions (through survey data) of Disability Support Services (DSS) personnel regarding the transition process for students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from secondary to postsecondary institutions. Participants from 408 postsecondary institutions completed the…

California entered 2010-11 with a longstanding imbalance between ongoing spending and income. To help close that gap, state policymakers suspended Proposition 98, the minimum funding guarantee for K-12 schools and community colleges. In total, revenues for K-12 schools are down nearly 10% this year compared with 2007-08. Yet more cuts loom as the…

This study examined the relationships between Mexican acculturation, cultural values, gender, and help-seeking intentions among Mexican American community college students. Findings suggest that as Mexican Americans lose their culture of origin and increase their generational status, their attitudes toward help seeking become less favorable. This…