Overland Park, KS (January 24, 2022) —​​LewerMark, an innovative student health insurance provider, welcomes Togetherall to the LewerMark student program. The Togetherall platform will augment LewerMark’s ability to support client schools, colleges, and universities with an additional layer of mental health care.

For over 30 years in the student health insurance market, LewerMark has been innovating and offering a holistic suite of value-added services for international and study abroad students. The addition of Togetherall offers a ground-breaking response to the growing concern regarding student mental health and the desire to meet international students where they are.

Togetherall reduces barriers impeding students from seeking mental health support through a safe and anonymous peer-to-peer support network. The Togetherall network connects participants through online message boards, where they can share their feelings, chat with others experiencing similar struggles, and offer help to one another. The system is facilitated and monitored by licensed mental health professionals, known as “Wall Guides,” who encourage engagement and guide students to resources.

“We’re ecstatic to partner with Togetherall to improve our student insurance offering,” said Nik Lewer, Senior Vice President of LewerMark. “We’ve been working hard, especially in light of the Covid pandemic, to make our mental health services easily available and accessible to our student body. Togetherall shares that goal, which makes them a perfect fit for our student program. We’re thrilled to offer students a low-barrier entry to receive the mental health support they may not seek in-person, as well as a space to build community and offer peer support.”

LewerMark continues to offer leading-edge services and benefits to the international and study abroad student community. Other key partnerships include Teladoc and the My Student Support Program (My SSP), an industry-first added in 2018.

About LewerMark:

Innovative, responsive, knowledgeable: LewerMark is the leader in International Education for international student health insurance. LewerMark’s concierge approach, custom plan designs, and expertise with international students allows client colleges and universities to focus on the pressing needs of their students.

About Togetherall: 

Founded in 2007, Togetherall is a leading online mental health service that provides millions of people throughout the United States, Canada, U.K. and New Zealand, access to community and professional support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service is proven to help those who are struggling with stress, isolation, anxiety and other common mental health issues. Togetherall partners with organizations in the corporate, education, health and non-profit sectors. To learn more, visit https://togetherall.com/en-us/.

Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to a close. As we wrap up the month, we here at LewerMark want to make sure our students and schools know that we’re here to support them. We hope this blog proves to be a helpful tool for advisors working to guide and aid their students. Please also check out our blog about processing grief here.

According to a recent Chegg survey, 56% of undergraduate students around the world say their mental health has suffered due to Covid-19. This likely comes as no surprise to school administrators, considering the stress of the last two semesters. But what may cause some surprise—and concern—is a recent University of Hong Kong survey that indicated a whopping 84% of international students reported moderate to high levels of stress. In addition, students who stayed in the host country experienced significantly higher levels of stress than those who went home.

This can be a difficult issue for schools to tackle. Many cultures around the world still stigmatize depression and anxiety, which will cause many students to suffer in silence rather than seek help. Even those students who do want help often don’t know where to turn, since international students are usually less aware of available services and support.

It is up to schools to support their international students who are more susceptible to mental health issues, perhaps now more than ever. Schools and advisors can care for their students by watching for signs of mental health distress, bridging the gap between students and mental health services, and communicating clearly as the pandemic drags on.

Watch for Signs

Justin Chen, the co-founder of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Cross-Cultural Student Emotional Wellness and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard University, spoke at a recent NAFSA conference and described signs that can indicate a student is struggling. Those signs include:

• A deterioration in personal hygiene or dress
• Dramatic weight loss or gain
• Noticeable changes in mood
• Excessive absences
• Academic problems
• Social isolation
• Unusual behaviors
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Threats of harm to themselves or others

Bridge the Gap

If a student is showing signs of a mental health struggle, advisors can bridge the gap between the student and the services they need. Sometimes students just need someone to talk to and care about how they’re doing. Other times, students may need help finding a trained counselor and making the call. Advisors can provide a referral or, if resources exist, can direct the student to a counselor who comes from a similar cultural background or who speaks their native language. In bridging the gap, advisors may also need to break down preconceptions and stigmas and assure students that their counseling is confidential and won’t affect their transcript or visa status.

Communicate Clearly in Crisis

In the first months of the pandemic, international students were particularly stressed by the ever-changing news and sometimes contradictory messages they received. They were far from home in the middle of a pandemic, working to overcome language barriers, and trying to navigate difficult questions like whether or not they should travel back home and whether or not they would be allowed to continue or complete their degree programs. In addition, there were questions about visa status, graduate and OPT work, and financial support for non-citizens. For some students, these are questions that haven’t been fully answered yet.

So, while vaccines are providing a great deal of hope for the return to normalcy, crisis communications are still ongoing and must be done purposefully. Communication expert Paul Argenti spoke to Harvard Business Review and recommends creating and maintaining a stable team of five to seven people, including representatives from the leadership team, corporate communications, HR, and a medical expert. This team should:

1. Meet regularly to monitor the situation.
2. Be the main source of information about the crisis.
3. Give regular updates.
4. Be as transparent as possible. Explain what they know, what they don’t know, and provide their sources of information.
5. Be succinct.

The goal is to communicate with students, especially the international student body, in a way that is calm, proactive, knowledgeable, and transparent. This kind of communication lessens mental stress and tells students where to go for help in a crisis.

Key Takeaway

COVID-19 has caused everyone a lot of stress and has hit international students especially hard. Schools can care for their students’ mental health by watching for signs, bridging the gap between international students and the services they need, and communicating clearly as the crisis continues. Contact LewerMark to learn how our unique partnership with LifeWorks and their cutting-edge mental health support system, My SSP (Student Support Program) can help you support your students.

Please note, effective May 14, 2021, Morneau Shepell Inc., a leading provider of technology-enabled total wellbeing solutions, has rebranded to LifeWorks Inc.  The rebrand initiates a new chapter for the company and supports the organization’s commitment to delivering a continuum of care that improves lives on a global scale.  Combining technology and talent, LifeWorks provides personalized, digital health solutions that feature the level of support students need, when and how they need it.  The LifeWorks name was selected following an in-depth name evaluation process and extensive market research with clients and prospects in Canada, United States, United Kingdom and Australia to unify the company under one brand, while continuing to be the same trusted partner they have always been.  My SSP (Student Support Program) by LifeWorks provides 24/7 access to mental health and wellbeing support for both domestic and international post-secondary students through app-based technology.  Students may access live counseling support for short-term needs through telephone or text chat (app or web), or they may elect to schedule counseling support over one or more sessions.  My SSP provides guaranteed access to counseling support in English, French, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese 24/7, plus students may request many other languages for support for scheduled sessions.  Students may also request lived-experience counselor matching should they wish to be paired with a counselor or a certain faith, gender, religion, ethnicity…etc.  For more information on My SSP, please visit https://myssp.app.

Jocelyn Elders, a pediatrician, and former United States Surgeon General once said, “You can’t educate a child who isn’t healthy, and you can’t keep a child healthy who isn’t educated.”

Although you probably don’t consider yourself a “child” anymore, the quote relates to you as an international student studying here in America. It is easy to eat instant mac and cheese and hamburgers every day—especially if the foods you are used to in your home country are unavailable—but this can affect your physical and mental well-being while in school. Luckily, there are ways to stay healthy and resources available to you so that you can focus on what you came here for—your education.

You probably know what you should and should not eat to avoid becoming overweight, but food can affect more than just body weight. Let’s take a quick look at how your physical, mental, and emotional health are connected and how to balance and maintain all aspects of your health while you are in school.

How Unhealthy Food Affects Your Mood

We know that fast, processed foods seem like an easy solution while you are busy keeping up with class work, making friends and experiencing the culture in the U.S. However, eating an unhealthy diet for a long period of time can affect your ability to function socially and academically.

There is plenty of research linking an unhealthy diet to symptoms of depression over a long period of time. Studies show food can contribute to the development, prevention, and management of mental health issues, from mood swings to depression and anxiety disorders. A study about dietary patterns and depression risk states, “A dietary pattern characterized by high consumption of red and/or processed meat, refined grains, sweets, high-fat dairy products… and low intakes of fruits and vegetables is associated with an increased risk of depression.”

Eating Healthy While Studying in the U.S.

If you eat unhealthy food on occasion you will not spiral into a deep depression, especially if you normally eat a healthy diet and exercise—so don’t worry if you ate a cheeseburger or pizza with your friends recently.

However, it is important to be aware of what you are eating on a regular basis and try to maintain a balanced diet. Here are some positive ways to maintain your diet as an international student:

• Eat at set intervals throughout the day
• Avoid refined sugars and processed foods
• Eat more whole grains
• Include protein at each meal
• Eat a variety of foods
• Eat plenty of vegetables (we know they can be expensive,
  but you can buy frozen if you are on a tight budget)
• Include Omega-3 rich foods, like oily fish, in your diet
• Reach and maintain a healthy weight
• Drink plenty of fluids, especially water
• Avoid alcohol entirely or limit your consumption if over the age of 21
• Get regular exercise

Maintaining Mental Balance

Maybe you already eat a healthy diet and exercise as often as you can, but you are still having trouble with the stress of school and feelings of loneliness or being homesick. Please know, you are not alone. There are things you can do to improve your state of mind and resources for you to use.

Maintain a Solid Sleep Schedule

Sleep is extremely important. It removes toxins and organizes your brain. A good night’s sleep of at least seven hours will make you more alert in class and less irritable the next day. You will find that you have a clearer head and can have better focus. You also will not become as easily frustrated when a challenging assignment or situation arises.

We know that it can be hard to avoid studying for a test until the late hours of the night, but try your best to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day as much as possible.

Avoid Isolating Yourself

Humans need interaction to survive. As an international student, you don’t have to take part in every activity the college has going on, but finding other students with similar interests through events and clubs is a great way to combat feelings of loneliness in a new country and start making friends.

Take Time to Breathe

Sometimes taking time to meditate for five to ten minutes or even taking a few deep breaths when you feel overwhelmed can make a world of difference when you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed. You can find guided meditation videos on Youtube if you want to incorporate into your routine.

Organize Your Thoughts

You have A LOT going on. Keeping track of everything you need to get done in a week or even a day can be very overwhelming. Take some time to make a schedule and a “to do list” that can help alleviate some of that stress because everything you have to do in the near future is right in front of you. You don’t have to write down every little thing; you may not even accomplish everything on your list and that is completely okay! The important thing is that you have everything down on paper.

Ask for Help When You Need It

Remember that you do not have to handle everything on your own, especially when it comes to your health. Your international student advisor is there to help you navigate this transition and wants you to thrive and succeed as a student while in school.

If you are feeling stressed out, lonely, or find that depression and anxiety are starting to affect your well-being, ask your advisor what resources are available to you. They can:

1. Tell you what the next steps are to get you healthy
2. Put you in contact with professional counseling services (if available)
3. Help you understand your options when it comes to getting healthcare here in the U.S.

If your school does not provide health insurance plans to international students, feel free to share our ebook “Why Schools Should Provide International Students With Group Health Insurance” with your advisor.