Masked classmates feel anonymous, named boxes on Zoom feel empty and sore throats take on a whole new meaning. We have been forced to adapt to this “new normal” and there is a demand for our campus mental health resources to adapt with us.
Last semester, for the first time in 14 years, students seeking ongoing individual counseling were placed on a waitlist at UNC's Counseling and Psychological Services.
The primary provider of mental health services on UNC's campus, CAPS offers shorter-term solutions for students, including brief therapy to address specific and easily defined mental health needs. But students expressed concerns about insufficient funding for CAPS in the wake of multiple student deaths last fall.
Last week, The Daily Tar Heel published an article breaking down CAPS funding. After students expressed increased mental health concerns in the fall, CAPS received confirmation of $81,667 in additional funding for the 2022 fiscal year and $140,000 for the 2023 fiscal year on Jan. 19.
This funding will be used to address student requests for more accessible counseling.
Students asked and the University answered, but it still doesn’t feel like enough.
The CAPS website states that the “CAPS staff is strongly committed to addressing the mental health needs of a diverse student body through timely access to consultation and connection to clinically appropriate services.” This effort is unsustainable as mental health needs have evolved among students.
CAPS is designed with the hopes of addressing the diverse needs of students, but as these needs grow, many feel like they can no longer rely solely on CAPS services.
Since the start of the pandemic, college students have been experiencing increased symptoms of loneliness, anxiety, laziness, depression and a general lack of focus. Students spend more time indoors and in front of screens and have more difficulty meeting new people in classes and making friends.
The transition to in-person classes can help with social interaction and immersion into life on campus, but this introduces even more anxiety surrounding contracting COVID-19. And other issues still remain.
Students not only grapple with the anxieties of the pandemic, but they handle issues like the surge in school shootings and trauma from suicides and sexual assault.
While these crises shake our generation, there are also everyday stresses, from social media pressures to relationship problems to the pressure of academic expectations.
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As student mental health needs continue to grow, there have to be more sustainable and consistent options.
An option that exists beyond CAPS is the UNC Psychology and Neuroscience Community Clinic, a community-based training facility for the doctoral program in clinical psychology. But the clinic has reached capacity for its therapy caseload this semester and now has limited openings for assessment services.
Its services are limited by the program's funding and size, which determine how many graduate students are available to take on new clients. With additional funding from the state for mental health services at UNC or funding from the University for the doctoral program, the caseload for the clinic could potentially be expanded.
Similarly, CAPS should continue to advocate for more funding in order to hire more staff and increase its capabilities. Long-term therapy services should be provided to students to address their needs.
UNC thrives because of its students, and there need to be options to maintain our mental health long term.
@dthopinion
opinion@dailytarheel.com
