Meeting the Mental Health Needs of College Students with a Background in Foster Care

Abstract

Many colleges and universities are creating campus-based programs to support students with a background in foster care. When considering the histories of trauma experienced by these young people, meeting mental health needs is an important part of a portfolio of services. ASuPIRE is a strengths-based, trauma-informed counseling program that was designed to respond to the unique needs of college students who aged-out and/or experienced foster care at any point across their development. This program can stand alone or can be used to supplement campus-based support programs. This approach, including its theoretical framework and related interventions, will be described. A case study is also provided to illustrate the model for other post-secondary institutions interested in adopting this approach.

Foster care experiences during childhood and health during older age: Evidence from China.

“…Children who frequently change schools have less understanding of the new school and cannot use the school resources well. In addition, college students with childhood foster care experiences show more stressful reactions during their higher education years (Lietz & Cheung, 2023), which affects academic performance. File transfer problems delay education provision, further hindering the student's access to educational resources (Noonan et al, 2012).…”