By: Carter Herrera (cherre40@calpoly.edu), Gwendalyn Garcia (ggarci99@calpoly.edu), Angela Carpenter (acarpe11@calpoly.edu)
It took an entire day of crying on the freezing floor of a garage and a roommate with ties to Campus Health and Wellbeing (CH&W) to finally meet with a counselor.
Before this, Liv Hurt, an English grad student, was unsuccessful in many attempts to get an appointment and was turned away before hitting their lowest point.
“I just wish it never had to come to that point,” Hurt said. “I wish I had the help that I needed before I actually needed it.”
Students have expressed disappointment regarding Campus Health and Wellbeing’s counseling services to Cal Poly students.
Poor experiences regarding campus counseling are highlighted on social media platforms including Reddit, Instagram, and Facebook.
“I went in for my appointment, I told the therapist about my severe anxiety and depression…,” a student wrote on Shades of Cal Poly, an Instagram account where individuals share stories anonymously. “She just told me that this was a ‘normal part’ of being a student at Cal Poly and that every student went through this.”
CH&W director Andrea Lawson Says “We assess the needs of each student through the screening to determine the appropriate disposition.”
Shades of Cal Poly Instagram Post
In 2017, Lauren Cosgrove went into Campus Health and Wellbeing seeking her first intake appointment as a communications studies freshman, and remained unsatisfied as each new appointment she attended brought a new counselor.
“The school couldn’t give me the help that I needed,” said Cosgrove, a 2022 graduate.
Scheduling an appointment
To schedule an appointment, students call the center at 805-756-2511 to participate in a screening to “assess the needs of each student through a process to determine the appropriate disposition,” according to the Center’s webpage.
Counseling Services schedules additional counseling appointments based on the results from the screening said Lawson
“We identify a supportive resource for them in a time frame that matches their clinical need,” Lawson said.
After the screening process, a student should receive their first appointment with a counselor within two business days.
“If there is an increased demand for screenings that goes beyond the allotted 500 clinical hours, the appointment could be scheduled beyond two business days,” Lawson said.
Funding counseling services
The Health Service Fee is paid by every Cal Poly student each quarter and is included in their Registration and Tuition Fees. The fee provides funding to Cal Poly’s Health Services department, and additional Health and Wellness programs.
As of 2019-2020, the quarterly rate has been raised to $238.20.
Campus Health and Wellbeing is able to provide 40% more counseling sessions in Fall 2022 than in Fall 2018 according to a statement. This is because of an increase in the Health Services Fee.
As of this year, CH&W claims they can provide 500 hours of service a week for students; this includes crisis intakes, ongoing counseling, outreach, and screenings.
The amount of support Campus Health and Wellbeing could offer in 2017 looks different than it does now. Prior to the 2018-2019 school year, students paid $127.20 per quarter for Health Service Fees.
In 2017, Lauren Cosgrove went into Campus Health and Wellbeing seeking her first intake appointment as a communications studies freshman, and remained unsatisfied as each new appointment she attended brought a new counselor.
“The school couldn’t give me the help that I needed,” said Cosgrove, a 2022 graduate.
The California State University system does not implement a systemwide student services fee, but each CSU campus charges for the health services fee. These can range from $150 to $740 per academic year.
Health Service Fees help fund counseling services, which allows for more counselors to be hired.
“We are fully staffed for our allocated funding at this time, which is great,” Lawson said. The increase in fees allowed the center to hire 23 counselors.
College Factual reported Cal Poly has over 22,000 total students, and only 23 licensed therapists and two front desk staff members to provide counseling services.
The American Institute of Stress found about 61% of college students seek counseling for anxiety, depression, academic performance, family issues, and relationship problems.
Even with recent funding increases, Campus Health, and Wellbeing are unable to “meet all of the mental health needs of every student” because of the size of the student body, according to the website.
Even as the center’s staff number increases, the need for ongoing and immediate counseling has increased in the student body.
“That said, if we do not have available intakes, we’ll work with the student to identify other sources of support,” Lawson said.
Resources other than on-campus counseling
Outside of counseling services, Campus Health and Wellbeing provide additional resources for students.
Throughout the month of February, CH&W will host 50-minute seminars covering various mental health topics. The event is held via zoom, and anyone can attend anonymously.
Some students may want to look away from campus when it comes to mental health resources. third-year computer science major, Robert Vermeulen says that Cal Poly’s counseling wasn’t for him as he “requires long-term therapy.”
What he uses and recommends using the Better Help app. “I think that’s the easiest and fastest way to get therapy because you can set it up on your phone without having to call and set up appointments.”
BetterHelp is an online therapy app where you sign up and are given a therapist who you can message at any time.
According to their website, subscriptions range from $60 to $90 per week.
Students who need help, have options outside of CH&W when it comes to getting the resources necessary.
Liv Hurt encourages those who struggle to get an appointment with Campus Health and Wellbeing to be persistent in taking action to improve their mental health, whether that be through on-campus counseling or outside sources.
“Just know your mental health is more important than whatever they might be telling you,” said Hurt. “If they’re telling you that your problems aren’t bad enough or you know, you deserve to have help. It always gets better.”
