Bolstering its student support services, Pennsylvania College of Technology is offering a free and innovative mental health service to its students – TalkCampus.
TalkCampus is a groundbreaking, global peer-support platform designed for students, offering round-the-clock support. Accessible on both mobile and desktop, the mental health app ensures continuous access to care for students in need. TalkCampus provides an all-encompassing solution that integrates online peer support with real-time crisis management by professional staff.
Penn College students now have access to an online community of millions of students from around the world, where they can express themselves authentically, in their own language, any time of day or night. The platform is a safe and anonymous place for students to share their daily struggles and support each other, all within a clinically safeguarded environment with well-established community guidelines.
“TalkCampus helps students connect in real time with other students across the globe who are experiencing some of the same stressors and life issues in their lives,” said Mary Shuma Rudberg, director of counseling at Penn College. “Student Affairs is excited to offer this new platform to our students at Penn College. We are hopeful that TalkCampus will assist students with their immediate stressors. TalkCampus is a game changer! It is available and monitored 24/7 and is safe for all students to utilize. TalkCampus is solution focused and offers support and real-time crisis escalation that is integrated with Penn College’s existing procedures for crisis intervention."
“We have chosen to add this peer support to our mental health offerings to better support students throughout their academic journey,” Shuma Rudberg added. “Peer support is a well-evidenced form of support that provides instant, ongoing connection, wherever a student might be, directly through their phones.”
In the one month since the platform launched at Penn College, Shuma Rudberg reports that over 2,900 student contacts have been made with TalkCampus.
A proactive and preventative mental health solution, TalkCampus is inclusive to all Penn College students, whether on campus or studying remotely.
A 2023 survey found that since using TalkCampus, 86% of students find it easier to ask for help when they need it, and 79% find it easier to cope with life.
The above video provides a 4-minute explanation of TalkCampus.
Supporting 26 languages, the TalkCampus app allows for customization of various functions and topics, designed with mental health and user experience in mind. Users can share their thoughts in a public forum or in a private diary. The service also offers a range of self-directed learning modules delivering information on self-care and mental health specifically geared to college students.
TalkCampus’ support is intended to fit seamlessly into a college’s existing support services, allowing for users to navigate to college resources or local, community-based programs.
“We know that TalkCampus will be a valuable addition to our existing well-being suite, and we are proud to be able to give our students access to this global community,” Shuma Rudberg added.
For students who are reluctant to visit the college’s Counseling Services center, located on the second floor (Room 204) of the Bush Campus Center, the platform is proving to be an additional resource for connection.
For more information, students can visit the Counseling Services webpage. Using their college email address, students can sign up on the TalkCampus site or by downloading the mobile app.