Tech Tuesday: Tools put mental health education in community members’ hands (and minds)

University of Arizona psychologists and outreach specialists at Counseling & Psychosocial Services (CAPS) have developed an innovative training program designed to equip all members of the campus community with the skills to support student mental health. The program, Notice. Care. Help., forms an integral part of the university’s Together We Care initiative, which emphasizes that mental health is a collective responsibility, rather than an individual concern.

At CAPS, Assistant Director of Outreach Groups and Technology Dr. Leslie Ralph oversees the digital presence and programs that led to the creation of the Notice. Care. Help. training portfolio. Since the time she started as a clinical psychologist with the university in 2011, she noticed a growing need for community-based support, recognizing that faculty, staff and peers are often the first to notice when a student is struggling. “Mental health is a community concern,” she said. “We were getting a lot of questions about how we (U of A faculty and staff) can support mental health ... it became more and more clear that there are a lot of people who end up addressing mental health needs on our campus.”

Notice. Care. Help. addresses a significant gap in how universities traditionally handle mental health and address student needs. While reactive measures like counseling centers and crisis hotlines are essential, they often only intervene after a student has reached a critical point of distress. This creates two primary issues: first, university counseling centers often struggle to meet a demand that outpaces their capacity; and second, faculty and staff frequently find themselves in the middle of mental health situations without proper tools to support students. “The faculty members will say things like, ‘I do view it as something I’m capable of ... but I don’t have the tools or the resources or the structure to support me in it,’” Dr. Ralph said.

Notice. Care. Help. shifts the focus from reactive crisis management to proactive prevention. The program offers a portfolio of interactive trainings tailored for undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff. Participants learn to identify early signs of distress, utilize practical tips for discussing well-being and recognize what "help" looks like based on their specific role as an employee or peer.

A key advantage of the program is its solution-focused, trauma-informed perspective. By providing structured language and a clear framework, the training empowers university personnel to act as allies without needing to be specialized or certified mental health professionals. “The solution-focused language that we offer ... provides a structure for how to have that conversation that fits within somebody’s role.” 

Since its official launch in 2023, Notice. Care. Help. has been piloted across the university in both in-person and asynchronous online formats. Dr. Ralph envisions the program becoming a standard certification, similar to Safe Zone training, that can be shared with other universities, community colleges and even high schools. “The goal would be to share this more broadly with other universities as a package.” By leveraging existing university personnel as mental health advocates, the program aims to address mental health challenges at their roots and foster a more compassionate campus environment.

Dr. Leslie Ralph and the CAPS team are seeking partners to help deliver and scale this training program to maximize its impact for campus communities nationwide. Details and licensing information about Notice. Care. Help. are available on the Tech Launch Arizona Inventions website.