For Parents and Families

Simple actions parents and families can take to enhance student well-being:

• Visit ASU Family to learn about upcoming activities and events, and resources to support your student’s success.
• Visit Live Well ASU to Explore Wellness. Review information on critical wellness areas that impact the lives of college students.
• Review current data on ASU student wellness
• Prepare your student to take charge of his or her medical and mental health care needs.
  • - Ensure your student has health insurance, knows the carrier and plan, and carries a member card, and understands the co-pay policy.
  • - Provide your student with a copy of his or her health history, to include a list of allergies, dates of completed vaccinations, significant health or mental health conditions their providers should be aware of.
  • - Empower your student to ask questions about their health or mental health condition, medicines prescribed to them, and their treatment plan.
  • - If your student is 18 or older, they will need to sign a waiver in order for you to have permission to speak to their healthcare provider.
• Encourage your student to be involved in campus life.
  • - Having friends and other meaningful connections can help reduce stress and promote happiness.
  • - Leadership and involvement experiences contribute to career readiness.
• Start by believing.
  • Stressful personal situations are not uncommon.
    • - 16.1% of ASU students reported experiencing the death of a family member or friend in the past 12 months.
    • - 40.3% have been ill with a cold, the flu, or a sore throat.
    • - 43.9% of ASU students reported experiencing family problems such as financial, legal, health or relationship problems, within the past 12 months.
  • - When your student shares about experiences with you, listening will go a long way to helping her or him to get through a personal crisis.
  • - Ask and learn what kind of support your student would like from you.
  • - Ask what your student plans to do to cope with the situation.
  • - Refer students to the Dean of Students, ASU Health Services or ASU Counseling Services for assistance with their situation.
• Promote positive ASU student norms:
  • - 40% of ASU students don’t drink alcohol, according to annual surveys of our students. - Why is this important?
    • - This information corrects misperceptions about student drinking.
    • - These data reinforce positive norms, and affirm that there is a significant proportion of students who enjoy activities that don’t involve alcohol.
    • - Students in recovery from alcohol and other drugs, and those who choose a sober lifestyle for other reasons, will be happy to learn that they are a large proportion of the student population.
• Encourage your student to participate in healthy activities like:
  • - Community service projects – there are many options available through ASU. Visit Changemaker Central at ASU and commit to action as a group.
  • - Participate in Outdoor Recreation, Group Fitness Classes, Triathlons, Weight lifting and other programs offered through Sun Devil Fitness.
  • - Plan a potluck or attend a cooking class with their students organization, or group of friends.
  • - Start their mornings with a workout, yoga or Tai Chi.