Spring Break
Mental Health Services struggles with high demand
Understaffing means long waits
Laurie Wilbur
Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: News
Student demand for Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS) at UConn is up 30 percent since last year, according to director Barry Schreier.
With understaffing a major issue, this increase could mean even longer waits for students seeking care.
According to Schreier, UConn falls short of providing an adequate amount of counseling staff. With the suggested national faculty-student ratio being anywhere from 1:1,000 to 1:1,500, UConn roughly comes in at 1:1,900.
The department sees anywhere from 8 to 12 percent of the student body annually.
With care being more sought after now, CMHS is struggling to keep up with demand. The addition of former Violence Against Women Prevention Program director Betsy Cracco to the staff at the close of last semester showed a sign of improvement for the department, however extensive waits persisted.
Non-emergency situations usually have a three week wait and medications can take roughly a month to obtain, Schreier said. For many students, this delay may prove troubling.
A new budget approved this summer for CMHS provides hope for improvement. The department is seeking a new staff member for an alcohol and drug program; currently, there is no one on staff that is qualified for this area, according to Schreier. Other positions are being looked into, as well. Still, he believes the budget may not be sufficient to meet student demand.
Since staffing shortages are a problem not likely going away, CMHS took action and began coordinating with the Humphrey Center on campus. This clinic provides individual, family, couples, and marriage counseling.
Although the majority of the Center's clients are non-students, it has been experiencing a surge in student referrals since starting to coordinate with CMHS.
Doris LaPlante, clinic director of the Humphrey Center, said in a phone interview that the center sees approximately 70 to 100 patients monthly, has 25 active counselors and 41 UConn student referrals.
With understaffing a major issue, this increase could mean even longer waits for students seeking care.
According to Schreier, UConn falls short of providing an adequate amount of counseling staff. With the suggested national faculty-student ratio being anywhere from 1:1,000 to 1:1,500, UConn roughly comes in at 1:1,900.
The department sees anywhere from 8 to 12 percent of the student body annually.
With care being more sought after now, CMHS is struggling to keep up with demand. The addition of former Violence Against Women Prevention Program director Betsy Cracco to the staff at the close of last semester showed a sign of improvement for the department, however extensive waits persisted.
Non-emergency situations usually have a three week wait and medications can take roughly a month to obtain, Schreier said. For many students, this delay may prove troubling.
A new budget approved this summer for CMHS provides hope for improvement. The department is seeking a new staff member for an alcohol and drug program; currently, there is no one on staff that is qualified for this area, according to Schreier. Other positions are being looked into, as well. Still, he believes the budget may not be sufficient to meet student demand.
Since staffing shortages are a problem not likely going away, CMHS took action and began coordinating with the Humphrey Center on campus. This clinic provides individual, family, couples, and marriage counseling.
Although the majority of the Center's clients are non-students, it has been experiencing a surge in student referrals since starting to coordinate with CMHS.
Doris LaPlante, clinic director of the Humphrey Center, said in a phone interview that the center sees approximately 70 to 100 patients monthly, has 25 active counselors and 41 UConn student referrals.
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