The University of Pennsylvania’s Wellness at Penn has introduced a new initiative aimed at enhancing student mental health support through a partnership with digital mental health services and the installation of a wellness vending machine.
The collaboration with Mantra Health and Togetherall will grant Penn students access to a range of mental health resources, including teletherapy, self-care programs, and online peer-to-peer support. The newly installed Wellness Express Vending Machine, located in the ARCH building, offers students free over-the-counter wellness products.
Students can access one-on-one therapy sessions and self-care resources via Mantra Health’s Care Hub, while Togetherall provides a moderated online community for peer mental health support. All services require students to register online and pay the Wellness at Penn clinical fee.
Mantra Health specializes in providing comprehensive mental health services to college campuses, having partnered with institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Colgate University, Hamilton College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and North Carolina State University. Togetherall is a 24/7 online support platform that connects individuals with licensed mental health practitioners and peers.
Benoit Dubé, Chief Wellness Officer, emphasized the importance of adapting to students’ evolving needs. “The convenience of having access to services on your schedule, in the palm of your hands, is something that we weren’t quite delivering — a little bit, but not quite,” he stated in an interview with the Daily Pennsylvanian.
Following consultations with peer institutions and feedback from students, Wellness at Penn identified the need for expanded virtual care options, leading to the partnership with Mantra Health. Dubé noted, “Mantra Health expands capacity in terms of therapy. [Wellness at Penn] offers therapy, but we don’t provide therapy at 9 p.m. — a Mantra provider may be able to do that.”
This partnership allows for an integrated approach to student care. For instance, if a student’s counseling team identifies frustration tolerance as a treatment goal, they can recommend self-care modules from Mantra Health to address this specific issue. The platform features over 40 evidence-based life skill-building modules, enabling students to take self-assessments and receive personalized recommendations.
Dubé remarked on the flexibility of the offerings, stating, “We get to decide what parts of Mantra Health we want to offer students. It’s not one-size-fits-all. It’s a collaborative effort of doing a needs assessment and identifying which of their resources are best suited for our campus.”
In conjunction with these digital services, the Wellness Express Vending Machine provides a variety of essential wellness products at no cost. Available items include Plan B emergency contraceptives, menstrual products, COVID-19 rapid tests, condoms, hand sanitizers, and over-the-counter medications like Advil and Tylenol.
The vending machine also offers specialized kits, such as a sleep kit with lavender spray, an eye mask, and ear plugs; a cold care pack containing Ibuprofen, disposable thermometers, throat lozenges, and tea bags; and a first aid kit for treating minor injuries.
Students can access the vending machine during the ARCH building’s open hours, selecting items using their PennCard.
The initiative for the vending machine originated over a year ago, developed in collaboration with the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women, University Life, the Undergraduate Assembly, the Graduate and Professional Student Association, and Penn Reproductive Justice. Mary Kate Coghlan, Director of Communications for Wellness at Penn, highlighted the effort behind this project, noting, “The vending machine, much like Mantra, has been a labor of love. It’s been a long time coming.”
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