More College Students Seeking Mental Health Counseling

By Jake Zabski

Stonehill News Blog Staff 

 A recent report has found that today’s college students are increasingly seeking support for their mental illnesses.

           According to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health’s annual report published in 2017, 30-40 percent of college students nationwide are actively seeking treatment for mental illnesses at their college counseling centers.

            The report stated that students reporting issues of anxiety, depression, and trauma have all seen a rise each year.

            Between the years of 2014 and 2017, the number of students seeking treatment increased each year by about 10%, with more students also reporting issues of self-harming.

John Buchbinder, who is a psychotherapist and social worker based out of Milford, Connecticut, deals with this trend of more students being open to treatment in his own workplace.

 “I am seeing a larger amount of college students coming in and I think because mental health care is slowly becoming more mainstream and more acceptable (in society),” said Buchbinder.

            Buchbinder, who has been in the field for over fifteen years, said while more students are opening up about their struggles now, it was not always this way.

             “When I first started doing this, the young people I work with, including college-aged students, often were closed off when they came to therapy,” Buchbinder said.

            Buchbinder thinks that the trend of students starting to report their issues is heading in the right direction as it shows that young people are “ready to come in and face their demons, and their challenges without feeling ashamed or embarrassed.”

            Buchbinder associates college counseling centers with being prime places for students to get help, as they often are better able to handle a campus-specific or college-specific issue.

             “The advantage of working with someone at a college counseling center is that the counselor that works at the center will have an intimate knowledge of the campus and the culture of the (individual) school,” Buchbinder said.

            Buchbinder acknowledges that some students may feel uncomfortable with going to a center on-campus though, as it can be embarrassing to them or potentially be a sign of personal weakness.

            Abby Guilfoyle is a sophomore at Stonehill College and has seen first-hand the effects of going to a counseling center on campus.

Guilfoyle said that going to a counseling center on-campus “made me feel great,'' and helped her realize that going to therapy is a normal thing and not something to be ashamed of.

            Guilfoyle went to an off-campus counseling center previously and felt that it was more of a stressor for her.

            “A big stress for me of going to therapy before was money, I was really worried that I couldn’t afford sessions and so each session I would be scared that I wasn’t doing enough (to help herself) or I was running out of time,” said Guilfoyle.

            However, at Stonehill, counseling is covered within the tuition.

            Guilfoyle said that going to therapy opened more doors for her, as well as “having someone to talk too and having someone on your side.”

            The trend of more students seeking treatment is rooted in several causes, with Buchbinder and Guilfoyle specifically acknowledging media as a great way to spread acceptance of mental illness treatment.

            “There’s been a lot more in the media about trauma,” said Buchbinder.

He also said that with more of these issues being out in the media, more people can feel accepted and comfortable expressing themselves.

            Guilfoyle agreed with this statement and said that “social media plays a role because everyone can see whatever you post about your experience and also help to spread the word about the issue.”

            Guilfoyle especially found that by sharing her own experiences on-campus and social media as well as following other people on social media with similar struggles, she was able to make friends and find people to talk too when a counselor wasn’t readily available.

            The study showed that on average, college students are receiving about 4-5 sessions in total for their mental illnesses, sometimes sessions vary based on other factors though such as previous treatment before college, a connection to a home-based therapist, or the severity of the issues.

            Severe issues such as suicidal thoughts and trauma often take much longer to treat, and according to the study, a substantial amount of students received more than 20 treatments.

            Buchbinder and Guilfoyle agreed that often treatment lengths vary.

Buchbinder said that “I have some college students that I am working with right now and I see them weekly or even biweekly.”

            Guilfoyle frequently attends the counseling center on-campus at Stonehill and goes about biweekly.

            Buchbinder said that while the stigma surrounding treatment can still be an issue, a lot of students are starting to put themselves and their mental health first regardless of the potential societal consequences.

            “Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness,” said Buchbinder.

Buchbinder said, “Part of being an adult is knowing when we need help, and getting help is actually more of a mature thing.”

            Guilfoyle said that she understands if someone feels scared with going to therapy but wants other students to know that it is okay to go.

            “The counseling center is devoted to helping you. The people (at the counseling center) know what you are going through, and have it heard all before, so they know the best way to help you,” said Guilfoyle.