As a Florida Gator, it's easy to get swamped. There are classes to attend, organizations to join, friends to meet and laundry to do. Add that to a campus bustling with tens of thousands of students, and college can quickly become overwhelming.
Luckily, UF’s many mental health resources are here to help.
The Counseling and Wellness Center
Mental health issues among students are stigmatized but not rare. Between 2020 and 2022, the percentage of UF students who reported having anxiety rose 40%, ADHD rose 81% and depression rates rose 43%, according to a student survey.
UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center, a hub for student mental health help, offers 24/7 crisis support and counseling, workshops, off-campus support and psychiatry, among other services.
Students can schedule a consultation online or over the phone, and explore outreach services that don't require a consultation. Referrals are also available.
The CWC also encompasses AWARE, a student ambassador program that works to bring attention to mental health issues among college students and reduces the stigma around getting help.
The program participates in various outreach initiatives including an Oct. 11 Fall Wellness Fair and UFisAWARE week, with the latter occurring again in the spring. These and other initiatives, such as an online peer support program called Gator-2-Gator and Letters of Care, try to increase awareness when it comes to mental health and CWC resources.
Calista Hidalgo, the CWC AWARE undergraduate coordinator, said knowing what resources are available on campus is especially important for incoming students.
“This is their first time away from home,” said the 20-year-old psychology senior. “This newfound independence on top of balancing grades, a social life and extracurriculars can be extremely overwhelming.”
AWARE also hosts Fresh Mentality, a Canvas course that teaches incoming students about the mental health resources the program offers. The CWC recently developed a counseling group specifically for freshmen as well, Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo said AWARE helps her show other students they aren’t alone.
“This program gave me a sense of purpose and belonging,” she said. “We don’t want our fellow students suffering in silence when there are resources quite literally around the corner to help.”
The CWC has three locations on campus: Peabody Hall, Radio Road and Cypress Hall.
Its services are covered by a portion of the health fee included in tuition. The health fee also covers other campus-wide health initiatives.
Student Organizations
Feeling stressed? Make a cake pop.
That’s the idea behind Baking4Wellness, a student organization that promotes mental health through the art of baking.
The organization, founded by 21-year-old UF health science senior Lejla Cancar, includes educational meetings that organize baking workshops taught by members, socials, fundraisers and volunteer opportunities.
Cancar said she’s a firm believer that baking relieves stress and anxiety.
“Depression, anxiety, loneliness [and] fear are all common feelings college students experience during their four years,” she said. “There has been a lot of positive feedback since our organization started, and it keeps me motivated.”
Baking4Wellness does more than provide a space for students to sharpen their baking skills, Cancar said. It also connects participants with other resources within the CWC.
“I like to imagine ourselves as a liaison between the student and the services we are trying to help promote since we have a more direct relationship with students,” she said.
Cancar, a first-generation student who struggled with anxiety, wished she had been made aware of the resources on campus sooner.
“A lot of students do not know what exactly UF has to offer when it comes to health,” she said. “[We] are making these resources known.”
Baking4Wellness Vice President Emily Dong, a 20-year-old UF food science and English junior, said the organization provides a “safe space” for students who need a break from college life and want to engage in a fun group activity.
“I see it as a way of connecting with people and showing your gratitude,” Dong said. “Whether it's Baking4Wellness or [another] club…it's all platforms and gateways for people to get to know each other.”
Each baking session accommodates about 25 to 30 people. Baking4Wellness can be found on Instagram and Discord, and more resources are available through their LinkTree. There are no fees, and all you have to do is show up.
UF Police Department
Two years ago, UFPD started the Behavioral Services division, which includes the Co-Responder Team and the Office of Victim Services.
The Co-Responder Team began in June 2022 and conducts crisis interventions. A mental health clinician rides with a police officer who is specially trained in crisis intervention and mental health, and the team works to de-escalate mental health situations and connect the individual to ongoing resources.
Meggen Sixbey, UFPD assistant director in the behavioral sciences division, said the goal of the co-responder team is to provide an alternative to mental health hospitalization.
“I’m really very proud of what we’re doing,” she said. “Now that we can bring the counselor to the scene, we can look at exploring alternatives to hospitalization so we're able to get folks connected to the counseling center, as opposed to taking them to an inpatient mental health facility.”
Sixbey said UF’s co-responder team is the first of its kind in the country and has already been a major success, diverting hospitalization 57% of the time.
“The other big win to me is that a lot of our officers…[are] becoming more informed on mental health areas and how to explore some safety plans,” she said.
The Office of Victim Services is another mental health resource that employs two victim advocates in the police department.
The office helps victims of crimes navigate the legal process and connects them with ongoing resources through the CWC, the dean’s office or the Disability Resource Center.
The Office of Victim Services is free and confidential, and students don’t have to go through law enforcement to get connected with it. It is located in the police department, but the office has a side entrance and a direct number to allow students to bypass the police.
Sixbey said students shouldn’t wait to become familiar with these resources.
“We’re a very resource-rich university, and there’s so many things that I think students don’t know about until their senior year,” she said. “They could have been happier and healthier earlier if they had known that some of these resources existed that are free to them.”
Contact Grace McClung at gmcclung@alligator.org. Follow her on X @gracenmclung
Grace McClung is a third-year journalism major and the graduate & professional school reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, Grace can be found running, going to the beach and writing poetry.
