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Opinion

Psychological Services needs overhaul

Jim McCormick
Opinion Columnist 

During the past four years I've been a student here, there have been many times that I've needed to talk to someone. Normally a friend is available for me to hash out what's going on in my head and shake out the missteps in my logic, setting me on a more secure mental footing. However, occasionally, I need professional help. Such is the life of a student with severe (but treated) clinical depression. 

This shouldn't be a problem, as properly trained and licensed professionals are a call to Counseling and Psychological Services away. However, I've found that getting help from CAPS isn't all that simple. While there's no problem with the counselors there (who, in my experience are quite good, if a bit overbooked), there is a problem in accessing them as needed, particularly when one can go several months between times when he or she needs counseling, as well as the labored intake service that puts at least two weeks between the first time a student needs services from CAPS and actually receiving such services. 

Such a delay isn't a trivial matter: psychological problems are frequently life-threatening. Simply put, the intake procedure, which was put in place to match students with therapists for high-quality service, puts an unacceptably high barrier between students needing help and the assistance they need. Sure, it's nice to have a therapist matched to your needs, but what many students really need is accessible, convenient, and consistent mental health services. 

What really bothers me is that when I went to see a counselor after an intervening summer break, it was suggested that I go through intake again. Of course, that didn't do me much good, as intake is just a time for the counselors to assess your problems. Though I managed to get a new counselor for the required two sessions, if I were to go back now, I would probably have to go through intake again, as the issues that are troubling me would have changed. 

The problem, as I see it, is primarily clerical. I don't know how many people are working at the front desk at CAPS, but that number is not large enough. The entire office appears swamped and disorganized, and the people managing the front desk seem overworked. There doesn't seem to be much centralization of scheduling amongst the counselors, such that someone is available at all times for walk-in service as needed in the event of an emergency. 

Furthermore, the person at the main phone line should be the one making appointments. Counselors should not be their own secretaries. At one point, I had to play a month of phone tag with a counselor just to schedule a session. This would have been much easier if I could have just called the number listed everywhere, told them that I needed to make an appointment with a specific counselor, and made the appointment with that person. 

Honestly, with the way things are set up, if you have a need for relatively immediate counseling, it would be much easier to wait for the office to close and then call UHPD and request to speak with the therapist that is on call for the night. At least then, you could be assured of timely psychological services. However, one shoudn't have to make that phone call when there are counselors available during the day. 

McCormick, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at thephotoman@gmail.com.