No More Gaps: Why Student Mental Health Demands Full End-to-End Support

If we can’t help this next generation of leaders now, in their formative years, then our problems are only just beginning.

If you’re working with students, you’ll be acutely aware of the mental health crisis we’re in the midst of. The statistics are staggering, and those on the front line of student support are living the realities of these statistics daily. It’s shocking enough that globally, one in four students hasn’t seen another human face-to-face in the past day, that 69% of UK students are battling mental health challenges and 13% of U.S. college students reported experiencing suicidal ideation in the past year. But these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg.

Working with students from all walks of life across the world we see hourly the extent of their struggling. How they are expressing what is going on for them and their desire to be heard and find support.  

Students are not okay. And, if we’re honest, neither are many of those trying to support them. Universities and colleges are facing deep budget cuts. Trying to do more and more with less risks creating a breaking point with significant consequences for the very problem we are trying to solve.

The debate around the role of higher education in supporting student mental health is gaining momentum. Just as charged is the ongoing discourse about why so many students are struggling. Have we inadvertently raised a generation with diminished resilience, shaped by social media, screens, helicopter parenting and a lack of play-based childhood?

Or are we seeing the inevitable side effects of a generation reeling from a lack of access to mental health support, mountains of debt, a challenging job market, rising costs of living, climate crisis and global conflict (not an exhaustive list)? I imagine it’s more complex than either or.

Either way, students are crying out for support, and I believe we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to deliver it in ways that drive real impact and lasting change.

Care that cares

It is no longer acceptable for mental health support to exist as a tick-box exercise. Our young people deserve better than that. Having a service is not the same as embedding one. Services must actively lean into the support they promote, ensuring it is accessible, meaningful, and truly reaching those who need it most. We must put student support at the centre. Always.

The days of services deterring usage, creating barriers to access, or relying solely on signposting are over. Students need more than information, they need real support and timely intervention. They should not be bounced from one service to another, ricocheting through a fragmented system. If a student has taken the brave step to reach out, they must be met with empathy, care, intelligent support and critically, continuity. Utilisation matters.  

It’s simply not good enough to have students stuck in triaging loops, sharing without engagement or waiting hours for someone to respond. That’s not support - it’s a business model and students expect and deserve more. 

Every student seeking help should be received with open arms. We need support systems that take accountability and meet students where they are. In an increasingly AI-driven world, what students need now, more than ever, is human connection. Someone to say: “Don’t worry, I’ve been where you are… you’re not alone.” That should be the driving force behind every single student mental health interaction.

It’s an intervention in itself. We see it every day in peer support: simply listening- really listening- is an intervention in itself. If we can apply those simple principles each time a student reaches out, we can go a long way to helping people.

On TalkCampus, our clinical team speaks to students who are experiencing suicidal feelings every single day. While rapid escalation and intervention are sometimes the necessary next steps, what we often find is that a simple empathetic interaction, taking a few minutes to hear how the student is feeling and why, and giving them space to let it all out, is all that’s needed to help them through that moment.

Often, crisis is simply a reaction to a lack of space to say how they are really feeling and to receive some validation for that. A moment of feeling held in a safe space with someone who genuinely cares and is there for them right then and there.

It paves the way for future support seeking and sends a message that it’s okay to not be okay. It shows them they are not too much, not inappropriate, and that how they are feeling is valid. Contrast this with the message they receive if they’re quickly signposted to another service and it’s easy to see how we can exacerbate the crisis by providing a misguided intervention.

Why end-to-end care matters

End-to-end support systems are an essential mechanism to facilitate this level of empathetic care. Knowing we have joined-up, detailed reporting systems with every university and college we work with allows us to manage risk in the moment, while also providing continuity of care and ensuring the right people are there on the ground to continue supporting the student. We can handhold the student into support in a joined-up way where there are no gaps. And it works.

This balance of upstream early intervention with real-time crisis support is fundamental to holistic student support. We need to make sure all services are joined up enough to stop students from falling through the cracks. We need to provide a holistic approach with continuity of care. We need to talk to each other.

No service can exist in a bubble, and no service can do it all. It’s going to take everyone to solve this. We need to break down the barriers, communicate, and concentrate on putting the student at the centre.

Likewise, support has to reach all students. Being able to provide care across the globe, in the right language and at the right time of day, means that no student is left behind. Parity of care is challenging but doable, especially with a menu of support options that speak to different needs, preferences, and communication styles. On demand teletherapy across 60 languages covering all modalities and preferences has, for us, proved to be a game changer in ensuring that every single student has a fast option for support, it levels the playing field and ensures every single student whoever they are has that same quality and level of connection. But again, it’s about working hand in hand with wellbeing teams, communicating and making sure that every student seamlessly interfaces with and between services. 

Continuity of care is paramount. We can’t leave students to navigate care gaps alone. We have to handhold them to the right support at the right time. It takes a mix of prevention, intervention, and recovery support. There is no single player in this space that can overcome all of the challenges we face alone. We have to communicate across company lines, and we have to find ways to do it effectively.

Early upstream detection and intervention are critical to stop a wave of crisis further down the line. As a society, we’ve designed a health system that only springs into action during a crisis, we need to mobilise much sooner and offer ongoing support. Likewise, the mental health system can be fragmented and hard to navigate so we need to help students find their way through that. 

All of these actions directly improve the chances that someone will get the right support at the right time.

Putting this into practice

In practice, how does this show up for students, and what difference does it make?

It means making sure students understand their mental health: how it can fluctuate, how to look after it, how to recognise when they’re not doing so well, and what support is available when they need it.

It means giving them access to a range of support entry points and the confidence to reach out in a way that feels safe and right for them.

It means they’re met with warmth and empathy, and offered support quickly, not weeks down the line.

It means the services they encounter are connected, so they’re not starting from scratch every time or having to retell their story again and again.

It means that when they hit a crisis point, the system holds them. People dig in, wrap around them and stay a while. They don’t vanish once the immediate danger has passed.

It means recognising that recovery isn’t a moment, it’s a journey. And that the care and connection they need doesn’t stop once the panic has faded.

It means students receive the message, loud and clear that it’s okay to struggle and there is hope. Things can get better.

What next?

We’re in a really challenging moment. There is no quick fix for student mental health. And while this crisis continues, there will be no winners, least of all the students.

We need to work together. We need to get smarter with the care we offer. We need to limit waste and focus efforts. We need to prioritise utilisation and engagement. And critically we need to communicate and be open to challenging how we’ve done things in the past with eyes open to how we can be better moving forward. 

In a climate where additional funding may be limited, perhaps the answer lies in rethinking how support is delivered, refocusing efforts on cost-effective approaches that offer meaningful, transparent impact for students.

About the author

Jennifer Russell is the Chief Operating Officer at TalkCampus, driving global strategy and operations to ensure every student has access to timely, meaningful mental health support. With a deep commitment to innovation in student wellbeing, Jennifer champions systems that prioritise connection, care, and impact.

TalkCampus partners with universities worldwide to deliver real-time, peer-led and clinical support to students in over 26 languages. Learn more at www.talkcampus.com