Syracuse University, along with a number of American colleges, is trying to adapt to the influx of students with mental health needs. While in some ways, the school has been very successful in this endeavor, there is still much progress that can be made to ensure that all students are receiving the help that they may need.

Cory Wallack, SU’s interim executive director of health and wellness and the former director of the Counseling Center, recently said that the university’s counseling services are primarily meant to provide temporary care.

“We’ve never marketed ourselves or really provided long-term therapy in the sense of we’re going to meet with you weekly for the next two or three years, in part, because doing so really limits the opportunity for other students to have access to that service,” Wallack said.

After a counseling session at SU, students can be referred to an off-campus counseling center “for issues that might be better served by long-term therapy.”

The campus counseling center does this for a number of reasons. The center operates on a drop-in schedule as well as by appointment, allowing the professionals there to see more students. Multiple group counseling sessions are also available for students to participate in. It’s understandable for the university not to provide students with long term individual therapy.

Yet, the current system still leaves gaping holes in the mental health environment at colleges across the country.

Generation Z — those born from the mid to late 1990s onward — is dealing with poor mental health on a completely different level than previous generations have. Only about 45% of Generation Z report having “very good mental health,” in comparison to 74% of older adults.

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These alarming statistics are the product of factors modern day students are often forced to face, such as sexual harassment and gun violence, personal health and the economy.

Though many students face the same sets of issues attending college in the first place, such as adjusting to a new living environment and the stress and pressure of an academically focused college experience, different individuals handle these challenges differently. Some students are also coming into college with pre-existing mental health conditions, and in many cases, students may already be accustomed to seeing therapists or other mental health professionals regularly.

Students today need access to mental health services like never before. As more Generation Z students start to attend American colleges and universities, many schools are being forced to quickly adapt.

Though there is a counseling center, there are also other organizations that students can join to help improve mental health and the university advertises a Mental Health Awareness Week each year.

Even with access to these initiatives, the fact that universities like Syracuse don’t offer long-term counseling is a problem that cannot be overlooked. If a student does need long-term individual counseling, then distance, transportation and payment can be additional obstacles.

Caroline O’Hara, an assistant professor in SU’s Counseling and Human Services Department said that “the university is a convenient, affordable and professional option for students in many situations.”

It definitely is, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be greatly improved.

Students with poor mental health can struggle with work, drop out of school and, at worst, see declines in their physical health.

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“The way I see it, counseling is a resource that assists people in becoming more empowered in their personal lives and in their communities,” O’Hara said.

SU should make sure its counseling services can do that for all of its students. Syracuse should be open to meeting with specific students long-term. This might entail hiring more staff in the counseling department or reworking existing scheduling procedures, but it should be considered.

The university has a moral obligation to do everything possible in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its students. The university has created a system that benefits considerable numbers of students, but in order to achieve a true, wide-reaching solution, SU must commit more resources toward longer-term mental healthcare opportunities for the students who need it.

Kailey Norusis is a freshman English literature and history major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at kmnorusi@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter @Knorusis.

Published on October 23, 2019 at 11:47 pm

Contact Kailey: kmnorusi@syr.edu