Read the article on USA Today.
Colleges across the country are working to adapt to growing mental health needs as demand outpaces traditional approaches.
“But if colleges can’t provide students with timely counseling, problems can arise. One consequence of the upswing in demand, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health report, is that colleges have increased their “rapid-access hours per client,” or the appointments they provide on short notice for emergencies.
Simultaneously, annual “routine-access hours per client” — non-urgent individual appointments — have decreased. So unless students are having an emergency, it’s getting harder and harder to see a counselor.
Nathaan Demers, a psychologist at Grit Digital Health, said lengthy wait times for mental health issues can be dangerous, even if the problems don’t immediately seem urgent.
“If they say I can’t see you for four weeks, imagine all the things that could happen in four weeks,” Demers said.”
