As the pandemic continues to impact mental health, students, faculty, and staff at North Park University have access to TAO Connect’s behavioral health platform as a standalone service and as an extension of counseling visits.
TAO Connect, a digital platform designed to make behavioral health therapy more accessible and effective, has partnered with North Park to bring its mental health resources to the entire university’s community. All students, faculty, and staff now have access to TAO Connect’s wellness tools on the go, and North Park Counseling Support Services can assign curated psychoeducational materials and assessment tools to students through the TAO platform.
The partnership comes at a time when the challenging events of this year have significantly impacted the mental health of young adults and college students and altered how university counseling centers provide mental health services. North Park responded to the need for digital health resources by partnering with TAO Connect to provide online, 24/7 access to mental health support. Additionally, the technology allows the university’s counseling center to reach traditionally underserved groups, such as out-of-state students, distance learners, or non-traditional students.
“Adding TAO Connect to our services will provide an added layer of support for our community,” said MaLinda Lee, director of Counseling Support Services at North Park. “The platform’s tools and resources are all evidence-driven and delivered digitally in a way that is preferred and familiar to students, which we believe will encourage them to better prioritize and take care of their mental health.”
TAO Connect recently launched its V3 platform, which contains more than 150 interactive sessions on anxiety, depression, substance abuse, anger, sexual violence, and more. Additionally, the platform offers a library of mindfulness exercises and journal prompts—which include an anxiety monitoring log and a relaxation and mindfulness log. The platform also features The TAO Assistant, an AI chatbot that guides students through the platform for a personalized experience specific to their needs.
The platform can be used in two ways: the counselors at North Park can individually assign the online-based sessions to students as a way to enhance virtual appointments, or users can sign up independently for a completely self-guided experience. The Self-Help feature is personalized and helps users develop helpful thinking patterns through sessions and exercises focused on stress management, problem-solving, mindfulness, and more.
“Young people’s mental health has been particularly affected by the stress and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, and with all the changes they’re experiencing, it is vital that they have access to the tools they need to manage their mental health,” said Dr. Sherry Benton, founder and chief science officer of TAO Connect. “North Park’s counseling center now offers its students mental health tools that are easily accessible to all of its students.”
TAO Connect is available for free to all University students, faculty, and staff members. Students, faculty, and staff can register for TAO by visiting North Park’s Counseling Support Services webpage. To learn more about TAO and its technology, please visit www.TAOConnect.org.