At the start off fall semester 2006, Jonathan Linden was a U of
A sophomore, majoring
in Psychology, with a 4.0 GPA. He had friends, a job, and a loving family and appeared poised for a long,
successful life. What his family didn’t know, and his friends didn’t share, was that Jonathan’s recreational drug use was escalating. Tragically, in
October, 2006, an
accidental drug over-dose claimed Jonathan’s life .around a way to turn
their tragedy into a way to help
other students,
Jonathan’s mother Gloria
and his sister
Stephanie partnered with the U of A Campus Health Service,
establishing the Edward and
Jonathan Linden Endowment, named for
Jonathan and his late father.
This effort
created the Friend 2 Friend program, with its focus of
“Notice. Care. Help,” aimed initially at providing information and resources, so that
students would recognize signs of
trouble in a friend and feel empowered
to intervene and assist, hopefully
averting tragedies like this one.
The Lindens recognized that it was important
to move beyond the substance abuse area,
as a variety of mental health issues
negatively impact students and put
them at risk. Those of us who serve college students
know all too well that any student, from the most stable and successful, to those already
foundering, can develop problems
during college, as college years are a
time for growth and success, but also
change, instability and ,sometimes, poor choices. Getting timely help can be the difference
between failing and
succeeding in college, or in worst case scenarios,
between life and death. While students can be referred for help, or agree to seek help
on their own, even at the extremely modest fees charged for counseling at the Counseling
and Psych Services (CAPS) unit of Campus Health, cost is still the main
deterrent to seeking help for some students. To address this, in 2010, the Lindens dedicated an initial $5,000 in funds to create the CAPS Linden Counseling
Assistance Fund. As funds are still limited, criteria for receiving these
supports are very strict. Only the
most desperate students can now be served…students with no insurance, no family
support and often lacking money to pay for more than rent and food.
Priority is given to students who are at risk for suicide or other harm, or whose mental health issues are making it difficult or impossible
to remain in school successfully. Support is currently limited to
a maximum $150-250 per
student, which can cover6-10
counseling sessions at CAPS. Many students who receive the help need even viewer sessions to get back on track. Our goal — and that of the Lindens —is to ensure that ANY student in need of and motivated to get such help can do so. To date, the fund has provided counseling to 66 students. To
continue these efforts, we need the support of other parents who can remember or recognize that
timely counseling
intervention, even brief, can really make a difference.
SUMMARY
In 2006, tragedy struck for the
Linden family. Jonathon Linden had died. Only a sophomore at the University of Arizona,
Jonathon was majoring in psychology. That was before his substance abuse got
worse. After his death, Jonathon’s mom and sister teamed up with the U of A
campus Health Services to establish a program called the Edward and Jonathon
Linden Endowment, named after Jon and his father.
This spark is what thought of
the program Friends 2 Friends. This
program is focused on helping students who are addicted or hooked on any type
of drug and getting them off it. So far
friends 2 Friends has helped 66 students at the University. 6 – 10 sessions cost $150, but for the less
fortunate, funds have been provided; but the funds are limited. The Friends 2
Friends motto is ‘Notice. Care. Help.’ The
program initially provided information for students so that they can recognize
signs of trouble on their friends or colleagues and to feel empowered to help
that person.
I.
Where
on the campus is the program Friends 2 Friends?
II.
Do
students work at either program?
III.
Do the
Linden’s still run the Edward and Jonathan Linden Endowment?
Binder, Marian (2012) Our
Family trying to make a difference Counseling and psych services
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