How Stanford Supports Student Mental Health & Well-Being

Maija Cruz, Well-Being Coach and Stanford Class of 2012

Maija earned her BA in Psychology with a focus in Mind, Culture & Society, doing research with social psychologists Dr. Hazel Markus and MacArthur Genius Grant Winner Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt. After graduating, she chose to stay at Stanford and serve the Indigenous community in every professional role she has held.

Maija is a leader in decolonizing wellness at Stanford, serving both graduate and undergraduate students as a Well-being Coach and Lecturer through the School of Medicine. She teaches at Stanford, developing and co-instructing classes on Peer Support, Flourishing While BIPOC, and for years has served as a facilitator with the celebrated course, Designing Your Life. She is currently the Vice Chair of Stanford’s American Indian Staff Forum and the co-chair of the newly-formed BIPOC Flourishing Project. Maija also manages a private coaching practice, coaching both new and seasoned professionals, scholars in numerous elite institutions, and clients in business, medicine, and law. In every case, her goal is to help clients design and actualize an authentic career and life that encourages well-being to flourish.

Darrell Green, Associate Dean of Students

Darrell brings over 16 years of professional experience to the Associate Dean role in the Dean of Students Office. Darrell’s role in the Dean of Students Office is providing the support to Residential Education and the Graduate Life Office related to escalated student cases, supporting Student Affairs Offices and staff with non-clinical responses to critical incidents that affect the student and the community on- and off-campus. In a related role, Darrell is also the primary lead on Dean of Students individual case management.

Darrell's formal education background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a concentration in Psychology and a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology. Some of Darrell's most treasured skills that he brings to his role include case management, community outreach, crisis response, and many evidence-based practices. Darrell is a certified member of the National Association for Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment (NaBITA).

Helen Hsu, CAPS Clinician and Director of Outreach

Helen is Director of Outreach, Asian American specialist, and lecturer at Stanford University. She is President-elect of the American Psychological Association Div. 45 (Society for the Study of Race, Culture and Ethnicity) a past president of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA), and past Chair of the Training Advisory Committee at the American Psychological Association (APA) Minority Fellowship Program. Helen also served on the APA Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression, and was a Union City Human Relations Commissioner for 10 years.

As a bi-cultural, bi-lingual clinician, Helen has worked within the Alameda County Behavioral Healthcare system as a clinical supervisor within Asian Community Mental Health Services and the City of Fremont Youth and Family Services overseeing K-12 school based clinical services and community care for those living with chronic and severe mental health conditions..

Her work has focused primarily on intersectional diverse communities, culturally responsive treatment, parenting education, school-based clinical services, grief and loss, and mentorship and leadership training of psychology students. Helen is on the advisory board for the JED foundation which focuses on teen and young adult suicide prevention and promoting mental health. She has worked extensively in private practice and as a consultant for Netflix and various universities, corporate, and clinical training sites. She author of several book chapters on clinical topics and is committed to community advocacy and leadership mentoring focusing on marginalized communities.