TalkCampus x Bellevue University Case Study
The challenge
Bellevue University is a private university in Nebraska with 12,000 students. The university wanted to offer both their distance and residential students round-the-clock support for their mental wellbeing.
Bellevue University, like many institutions, recognized the increasing demand for mental health services from students but also faced some budgetary restrictions, meaning they needed a cost-effective service that would cover the entire student population whilst also reducing the load on the counseling teams.
The solution
We worked alongside Bellevue University to do all of the heavy lifting and enable them to quickly start offering the service to their students without putting extra strain on their team. We provided them with all of the marketing materials they would need and helped them to co-brand their communications.
Our clinical team supported Bellevue to create a seamless escalation policy that would mean that at-risk students could get support from the university rapidly if they needed it.
Dr. James A. Smith, Assistant Vice-President and Dean of Students, said of the platform:
“TalkCampus is one of the best investments we have made for our students. The set-up was quick and extremely easy. We filled out a form and TalkCampus did the rest.”
The result
Since launching TalkCampus, the Bellevue team has noticed a marked reduction in the demand for student counseling as the platform is able to provide ongoing instant support to their students. This has enabled counseling teams to focus on the areas where they are most needed.
“Since we have utilized the app, we have not had to refer students to third-party counseling, thus keeping costs down for students and the university, while providing a better service for our students. We have found that the app allows students to seek help and keeps referrals to our counseling center down, allowing them to concentrate on more serious issues.”
Within the first three months of launch 113 students were already actively seeking support, representing 1% of the entire student population. Students have sought help with a range of issues and have been using the platform on an ongoing basis for support with many using the service during the early hours of the morning.
Bellevue has received regular reporting enabling them to understand the engagement and sentiment of their students. Here are some examples of the posts created in the first weeks:
“During this past few weeks, I have been overwhelmed with work and school, doing both full-time – especially in lockdown. Trying to work through my anxiety and depression on my own but it’s been hard and a lot on me mentally and physically. Anyone know what I mean?” – TalkCampus Student
“I’m feeling really isolated and trapped, it's so hard to stay positive. Everything has changed.” – TalkCampus Student
As a global community, TalkCampus has been able to support students round the clock instantly connecting them with others and ensuring they have ongoing support in real-time.
For Dr. Smith, it’s a success:
“The app is easy to use and our international students appreciate the bilingual support. I am extremely happy that the app, their support team, and the results for our students have exceeded my expectations. Our University, like many with budgetary limitations, have found TalkCampus provides us with the most return on our investment. I highly recommend TalkCampus and their team for the app and their support and look forward to the continued partnership with TalkCampus.”
The team at TalkCampus very much looks forward to keeping supporting Bellevue.
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