With final exams approaching in all UW schools, mental health services are in high demand. Though there is an increased need for support, it has been reported there is a lower amount of mental health professionals to provide student support.
Some UW schools are facing a low counselors-to-students ratio as more students are seeking treatment. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “The number of professional staff relative to campus enrollment is a ‘critical indicator’ of the counseling center’s ability to provide timely and effective services, according to the UW System.”
In a report from the UW Counseling Impact Assessment Project, it has been noted that anxiety, stress and depression are the top three concerns that students have been experiencing. Almost 15,000 students in all of UW have been receiving help in 2022-2023.
In the report, it showed that students who wanted to receive counseling found it more difficult to receive treatment quickly. In comments collected from the survey conducted, a student said, “(There) are so few counselors compared to the number of students. It can be quite a while before you can have your first meeting because the counselors are so booked.”
Hiring more professionals to take on counseling has proven to be a challenge to recruiting and keeping staff. The reasons for leaving were outlined as: “low salary, work schedules and lack of flexibility.”
The UW System schools are not the only colleges that are struggling with hiring therapists; rather, the hiring process has become a nationwide problem. This is not a problem strictly in colleges, but in the healthcare system entirely.
According to Campus Safety, “The U.S. is also 6.4% short of the psychiatrists we need, and the shortage is predicted to nearly double by 2025, reports Recovery.org.” They also report that this shortage is related to “lack of funding, poor reimbursement rate, low retention, increased need for services and limited access to care and an aging workforce.”
Though hiring professionals has been difficult, universities such as UW-Platteville have released a Telehealth method called “YOU,” a service free to students to receive 24-hour support if they cannot get into a counseling appointment immediately.
UW Mental Health Support is also available through a call or text to 888-531-2142 or a chat available on the 24/7 Portal. UW-Platteville Counseling Services can be reached for an appointment by calling 608-342-1865.
