Workforce Blog: Improving Mental Health in Engineering
Workforce Blog: Improving Mental Health in Engineering
Embedded mental health supports offer engineering students the necessary resources when facing stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Engineering continues to have a reputation for being a high-stress and burnout-heavy field of study and profession. Even after graduation, the pressure doesn’t subside.
Research published last year in The Research Journal for Engineering Education found that although engineering students experience some of the highest levels of distress, they are among the least likely to report symptoms of depression or anxiety. Of those included within this study, 44.4 percent screen positive for one or both conditions, but out of those individuals, only 40.4 percent received treatment.
Engineering students also “were the least likely to have received a depression or anxiety diagnosis when compared to students from other fields,” the research found.
And according to Mental Health in America’s (MHA) “The State of Mental Health in America 2025,” about 23 percent or more than 60 million adults in the U.S. experienced some sort of mental illness in the previous year. There are 4.83 million engineers currently working in the United States (more than 200,000 of those are mechanical engineers). So, keeping in mind those broader numbers, there’s some ground to cover.
Similar Reading: Focus on Engineers’ Mental Health
Clemson University is taking an embedded approach. As part of a program with the College of Education’s clinical mental health counseling specialty area, faculty and grad students (counselors-in-training) are providing on-site services to students, improving accessibility to treatment. These include counseling appointments and drop-in hours for students from every major at the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.
“Having counselors on site and near our advising office lowers barriers for students and increases their comfort level with the service,” said Stephanie Evans, director of student services at the College of Engineering, in the March announcement. “A unified support team is what students need, whether they are having issues with academics or with issues common for anyone in higher education.”
Over at the University of Kentucky, the Pigman College of Engineering is taking a similar approach by embedding mental health and well-being into its students' educational journey. In November, the Engineering Wellness Center (EWC) opened in the Ralph G. Anderson Building, creating a space where students can access mental health support. It was built with the help of a $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant.
Discover the Benefits of ASME Membership
“Students will find a space created with them in mind — calm, welcoming and free of pressure,” said April Porter, director of the EWC, in the announcement. “It’s not about fixing everything at once—it’s about meeting them where they are and walking alongside them, one step at a time.”
This strategy aims to improve student well-being and sense of belonging, which will in turn increase their efficacy as engineers. The EWC provides individual appointments, small-group workshops, and drop-in hours.
“I envision the EWC as a pathway for us to support students and to help them recognize that stress is normal for all of us and that asking for help and accessing resources for managing stress in a healthy way is a good thing,” said Michael T. Johnson, the University of Kentucky’s associate dean for undergraduate education and student success.
Across its entire campus, the University of Colorado Boulder has started offering free online counseling through BetterMynd, which is a virtual therapy platform specifically for college students. Any enrolled student can sign up for 50-minute virtual sessions with licensed therapists.
You Might Also Enjoy: Measuring Mental Fatigue with an e-Tattoo
In October, Cornell brought on a dedicated embedded therapist for its engineering students as part of a donor-funded, university-wide initiative that is integrating mental health services for students directly into the academic environment.
Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, is embracing a peer-based initiative, called the Engineering Mental Health Stewards (EMHS) program. It designates one student per year level in each engineering discipline who will act as a connection for fellow students to mental health and well-being supports. These students receive training on mental health literacy and communication, boosting awareness, reducing stigma, and connecting students to the resources they need as soon as possible.
For Mental Health Month 2026, MHA chose the theme, “More Good Days, Together,” which encourages everyone to reflect on what a good day is like for individuals and communities. And with the school year rapidly winding down and many newly minted engineers about to embark on their career journeys, that idea is one to embrace.
Louise Poirier is managing editor.
Research published last year in The Research Journal for Engineering Education found that although engineering students experience some of the highest levels of distress, they are among the least likely to report symptoms of depression or anxiety. Of those included within this study, 44.4 percent screen positive for one or both conditions, but out of those individuals, only 40.4 percent received treatment.
Engineering students also “were the least likely to have received a depression or anxiety diagnosis when compared to students from other fields,” the research found.
And according to Mental Health in America’s (MHA) “The State of Mental Health in America 2025,” about 23 percent or more than 60 million adults in the U.S. experienced some sort of mental illness in the previous year. There are 4.83 million engineers currently working in the United States (more than 200,000 of those are mechanical engineers). So, keeping in mind those broader numbers, there’s some ground to cover.
Similar Reading: Focus on Engineers’ Mental Health
Clemson University is taking an embedded approach. As part of a program with the College of Education’s clinical mental health counseling specialty area, faculty and grad students (counselors-in-training) are providing on-site services to students, improving accessibility to treatment. These include counseling appointments and drop-in hours for students from every major at the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.
“Having counselors on site and near our advising office lowers barriers for students and increases their comfort level with the service,” said Stephanie Evans, director of student services at the College of Engineering, in the March announcement. “A unified support team is what students need, whether they are having issues with academics or with issues common for anyone in higher education.”
Over at the University of Kentucky, the Pigman College of Engineering is taking a similar approach by embedding mental health and well-being into its students' educational journey. In November, the Engineering Wellness Center (EWC) opened in the Ralph G. Anderson Building, creating a space where students can access mental health support. It was built with the help of a $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant.
Discover the Benefits of ASME Membership
“Students will find a space created with them in mind — calm, welcoming and free of pressure,” said April Porter, director of the EWC, in the announcement. “It’s not about fixing everything at once—it’s about meeting them where they are and walking alongside them, one step at a time.”
This strategy aims to improve student well-being and sense of belonging, which will in turn increase their efficacy as engineers. The EWC provides individual appointments, small-group workshops, and drop-in hours.
“I envision the EWC as a pathway for us to support students and to help them recognize that stress is normal for all of us and that asking for help and accessing resources for managing stress in a healthy way is a good thing,” said Michael T. Johnson, the University of Kentucky’s associate dean for undergraduate education and student success.
Across its entire campus, the University of Colorado Boulder has started offering free online counseling through BetterMynd, which is a virtual therapy platform specifically for college students. Any enrolled student can sign up for 50-minute virtual sessions with licensed therapists.
You Might Also Enjoy: Measuring Mental Fatigue with an e-Tattoo
In October, Cornell brought on a dedicated embedded therapist for its engineering students as part of a donor-funded, university-wide initiative that is integrating mental health services for students directly into the academic environment.
Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, is embracing a peer-based initiative, called the Engineering Mental Health Stewards (EMHS) program. It designates one student per year level in each engineering discipline who will act as a connection for fellow students to mental health and well-being supports. These students receive training on mental health literacy and communication, boosting awareness, reducing stigma, and connecting students to the resources they need as soon as possible.
For Mental Health Month 2026, MHA chose the theme, “More Good Days, Together,” which encourages everyone to reflect on what a good day is like for individuals and communities. And with the school year rapidly winding down and many newly minted engineers about to embark on their career journeys, that idea is one to embrace.
Louise Poirier is managing editor.
Embedded mental health supports offer engineering students the necessary resources when facing stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Managing editor, Mechanical Engineering magazine
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