Counseling and mental health services are a top priority at UF and need to be part of continued conversations nationally within higher education and beyond.
Today’s college students nationwide are seeking mental health services at higher rates than any previous generation. The 2015 annual report by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health showed between 2010 and 2015, on average, the growth in the number of students seeking services at counseling centers was more than five times (+29.6 percent) the rate of institutional enrollment (+5.6 percent) across 93 colleges and universities in the U.S. In addition, counseling center appointments grew 38.4 percent or at seven times the rate of institutional enrollment during the same period.
UF, like most other colleges and universities nationwide, faces an unprecedented demand for mental health services. The Counseling and Wellness Center, the primary provider for student mental health services on our campus, served 4,401 students in 2015 compared to 5,088 students in 2017. That is a 15 percent increase in the number of students served in three years. Anxiety, stress and depression consistently remain the most common concerns for which UF students seek help at the CWC.
Last Spring, UF, along with the other universities in the state university system, lobbied the state of Florida for support through a legislative budget request. Unfortunately, it did not go through.
Immediately after that, UF administrators, Student Body President Smith Meyers and SG External Affairs Director Haley Smith worked together to find a temporary solution to help address the growing need for more counselors on our campus. The solution was to add four more counselors a year over the course of three years.
Since that time, Provost Joe Glover and Vice President for Student Affairs Dave Parrott have continued to work diligently on a solution to this issue.
I’m pleased to announce they have made the funding for the first eight positions permanent. These eight new counselors will provide necessary support to the CWC in our efforts to serve and meet the needs of UF students.
The issues surrounding the mental health needs of our students, including funding, are indeed complex. And, as a university community, we must continue to engage in dialogue as we attempt to meet this challenge and identify ways to increase support for those in need.
Dr. Ernesto Escoto is the director of the UF Counseling and Wellness Center.
