Date of Conferral

10-17-2025

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Danette Brown

Abstract

The problem investigated in this project study was that community college students are graduating at lower rates than the national average, despite the on-campus mental health services in place in the Midwestern United States. Grounded in Tronto’s framework of institutional ethic of care, the purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of their access to and barriers to receiving mental health support in community colleges. For this basic qualitative design, 10 students who attended at least one semester at one community college were interviewed. The semistructured interviews were coded and thematically analyzed with the following themes emerging: Students are (a) lacking knowledge and awareness of mental health supports, (b) experiencing external and internal barriers, and (c) having low personal awareness. Once aware of resources, most participants had a favorable view of their accessibility to mental health resources; however, issues persisted around the unknown nature of counseling services, trust, cultural implications, and the overall awareness of when and where to locate mental health resources on campus. These findings led to the development of a mental health literacy program that could be embedded in first-year courses. The results of this study provide an opportunity for positive social change by informing community college leadership about the access and the barriers to mental health services in higher education. As a result of this program, community college students may benefit from improved knowledge and awareness of mental health support and reduced barriers to services regarding mental health issues.

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