Counseling Is Key For Students Facing Mental Health Problems
Coping with winter can be challenging, both physically and mentally. For college students grappling with depression or anxiety, access to mental health counseling can mean the difference between failing and acing an exam—or between staying in school and dropping out.
Fortunately, University Health Services’ (UHS) Counseling and Consultation Service is only a phone call away for UW–Madison students. UHS has one counselor for every 1,492 students and responds promptly to student needs.
UHS operates a 24-hour crisis phone line, and students with the most urgent needs receive appointments the same day, or the following morning if they call after hours. Other students typically see a counselor the day after they call, says Bob McGrath, a clinical psychologist and director of the counseling service.
“A lot of mental illnesses emerge at this age,” says Dr. Sarah Van Orman, UHS director. “So this is the place to have the resources.”
An increased demand for the counseling services is expected as more veterans enroll in college, and because faculty, staff, and student awareness has grown following the tragedies at Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech, in which troubled students went on shooting sprees. But, Van Orman says, violence is not the typical response from students who are struggling with depression or anxiety. “The most common outcome,” she says, “is them dropping out of school or not doing well. If we know that we can get students in [for counseling] and get them into the right kinds of treatment, they’re going to do better, and they’re going to stay in school.”
The start of the every semester can be “intense” for UW–Madison’s counseling services, McGrath says, but he adds that the challenges of the work are outweighed by the rewards. “Now and then you get a letter from someone from five years ago that says, ‘You helped me make it through.’ ”
Who Needs Help and Why
- 9 percent of UW–Madison’s 42,041 students seek counseling services
- Two-thirds are female; just under half are seniors or graduate students
- Most-common problems: depression and anxiety disorders
Data from 2007–08. Source: University Health Services
For more information, visit University Health Services' Web site.