Students weigh in on mental health resources at UMD
By Lauren Reeder
April 14, 2022
Image Credit: John T. Consoli for the University of Maryland
The University of Maryland offers a plethora of mental health resources to students, from group therapy, wellness workshops, individual counseling, and more. But how do students feel about these opportunities? Students share their experiences dealing with mental health on campus, recognizing what UMD does right, and what could be improved.
The Counseling Center provides multiple forms of therapy and support, according to its website. Students can first schedule an intake appointment with the Counseling Center, which determines what resource is best suited for their needs, states the website.
Students had mixed experiences with this first step.
Sophomore Vocal Performance and Communications student Inayat Jain felt the process was easy. Jain got matched with a therapist that she later met with on Zoom.
Senior Animal Science major Heidi Rinehart, however, had to wait a whole semester before being paired with a therapist.
“It was very draining, waiting for that process,” said Rinehart.
Once a student is matched with a therapist, they have a limited number of appointments they can make, since the center runs on a short-term model, according to the website.
Colleen Rogers, a sophomore Civil Engineering student, said she understands that the center doesn’t have the resources to support every student, but wishes that wasn’t the case.
“Mental health is as important as physical health,” she asserted.
Rogers claimed she received care for physical health at the UMD Health Center immediately, unlike her experience with the Counseling Center.
“Why for mental health services is the wait weeks?” she questioned.
Rogers sought care from the Counseling Center, but was denied multiple visits, and instead referred to workshops. Instances like this led her to believe that the Counseling Center does not have enough resources, and should consider hiring more therapists.
“I think that the services they offer are good,” she said. “Just not everyone can get them.”
Other students, such as sophomore Neuroscience and English major Reshma Jasmin, want the Counseling Center to advertise their services more to the student population. The center should market their services as it is a hard and frustrating process to find services, she said. More advertisements could help students be aware of what is available to them.
Jain agrees with this thought. She has a lot of friends that don’t know about where to go for the services, she claims. Advertising services could remedy this, in her opinion.
Students at UMD recognize the Counseling Center as a service they are grateful to have access to, but hope to see changes made in the future.
The Counseling Center has not responded to multiple requests for a comment at this time.
The Counseling Center provides multiple forms of therapy and support, according to its website. Students can first schedule an intake appointment with the Counseling Center, which determines what resource is best suited for their needs, states the website.
Students had mixed experiences with this first step.
Sophomore Vocal Performance and Communications student Inayat Jain felt the process was easy. Jain got matched with a therapist that she later met with on Zoom.
Senior Animal Science major Heidi Rinehart, however, had to wait a whole semester before being paired with a therapist.
“It was very draining, waiting for that process,” said Rinehart.
Once a student is matched with a therapist, they have a limited number of appointments they can make, since the center runs on a short-term model, according to the website.
Colleen Rogers, a sophomore Civil Engineering student, said she understands that the center doesn’t have the resources to support every student, but wishes that wasn’t the case.
“Mental health is as important as physical health,” she asserted.
Rogers claimed she received care for physical health at the UMD Health Center immediately, unlike her experience with the Counseling Center.
“Why for mental health services is the wait weeks?” she questioned.
Rogers sought care from the Counseling Center, but was denied multiple visits, and instead referred to workshops. Instances like this led her to believe that the Counseling Center does not have enough resources, and should consider hiring more therapists.
“I think that the services they offer are good,” she said. “Just not everyone can get them.”
Other students, such as sophomore Neuroscience and English major Reshma Jasmin, want the Counseling Center to advertise their services more to the student population. The center should market their services as it is a hard and frustrating process to find services, she said. More advertisements could help students be aware of what is available to them.
Jain agrees with this thought. She has a lot of friends that don’t know about where to go for the services, she claims. Advertising services could remedy this, in her opinion.
Students at UMD recognize the Counseling Center as a service they are grateful to have access to, but hope to see changes made in the future.
The Counseling Center has not responded to multiple requests for a comment at this time.