What happens when a counselor burns out? They get a Ph.D. At least that is what Qingyun Zhang, teaching assistant professor of education and outreach for student mental health and wellbeing, did in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zhang knew he could do better — both for his clients and for himself. Working as a full-time therapist in West Baltimore, he saw roughly seven clients daily, well above the average caseload of 15–30 per week.
“When I would go home every day after seeing clients, I wouldn’t have the strength to do anything. And, worse, my passion for helping clients and practicing started to fade,” Zhang admits.
Something had to change.
“I was looking for ways to enlarge my impact,” says Zhang. “And one of my mentors suggested that I pursue a Ph.D. and use my research to train more professionals that could help more clients.”
So he did.
The Best of Both Worlds
Zhang worked to finish his degree, conducted research, and learned what it takes to train new professionals. Yet despite his success, he missed being a clinician. So when Lehigh posted a new teaching faculty position in the College of Health — thanks to the generosity of Josh Weintraub ’91 and Sharon Weintraub and their family — Zhang quickly applied.
“I was looking for ways to enlarge my impact. And one of my mentors suggested that I pursue a Ph.D. and use my research to train more professionals that could help more clients.”
The Weintraubs’ gift established a joint teaching and outreach position that allows a College of Health faculty member to simultaneously serve as a health educator within the University Counseling and Psychological Services Center (UCPS). For Lehigh community members, this position signifies a commitment to the new Student Mental Health Resilience Initiative.
For Zhang, Lehigh was the ideal fit.
“When I saw the posting, I knew that it was exactly what I wanted,” he says. “I can do 20 hours of practice, and with the other 20 hours, I am able to teach and research.”
Beyond flexibility, the position also provides new opportunities beyond the traditional limits of his field. He began his position in August 2025.
Mental Health First Aid
Zhang had his work cut out for him. According to the University of Michigan’s Healthy Minds Network, only 36% of 84,000 college students would say they are flourishing, citing reduced levels of perceived well-being, including self-esteem, sense of purpose, and optimism. This perceived lack of resilience and well-being is paradoxically happening at the same time students are reporting lower rates of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and burnout. The trend points to a growing disconnect between students seeking treatment for mental health and feeling confident in their ability to self-regulate.
That is why Lehigh is normalizing and de-stigmatizing mental health challenges. Zhang’s position represents a broader commitment to ensuring Lehigh students are equipped with the tools and strategies to enhance their well-being. Zhang is building a type of mental health first aid kit for students.
"By combining classroom education with field experience, students gain firsthand knowledge of self-understanding and self-empowerment, ultimately gaining control over their own health.”
“We need our community to understand prevention is better than postvention,” he says. “So we're trying to diversify the kind of services we are providing here on the campus to help improve mental health outcomes.”
Such a holistic approach resonates with Josh Weintraub: “By combining classroom education with field experience, students gain firsthand knowledge of self-understanding and self-empowerment, ultimately gaining control over their own health.”
Beyond events, Zhang also has been meeting with Lehigh administrators in the graduate student office, admissions, and student affairs to raise awareness of his role and Lehigh’s dedication to strengthening mental health outcomes on campus. This fall, he also began laying the groundwork to connect College of Health faculty with UCPS’ clinical data, enabling more targeted research that may help institutions better prepare students to be resilient.
Community-Based Advocacy
As an educator, Zhang knows the classroom is also a place for outreach. Zhang smiles as he describes his forthcoming spring course: Mental Health Promotion and Peer Support. It will feature a dedicated lab section that allows students to immediately apply what they learn by planning evidence-based programming and events for themselves and their peers.
“This class will give them hands-on experience in developing mental health initiatives they learn about into an actual plan for outreach or workshops on campus,” says Zhang. “In partnership with UCPS, this becomes a very organic community of peer advocates that are trained when and how best to help each other or how to find the proper resources on campus.”
Reflecting on his work so far, Zhang is deeply grateful for the support both from the Weintraubs and the Lehigh community.
“A lot of institutions advertise how much they support you and your work, but here I feel it. When I first met with the faculty who interviewed me, they were engaged and curious about my work,” he says, “and in UCPS and at Lehigh in general, I know that I’ve always got the right people to help me when I need it.”
For someone just finishing up their first semester at Lehigh, it's the community that makes all the difference.
