As the fall semester approaches, the University of Minnesota offers several counseling services for students struggling with their mental health.
Boynton Health and Student Counseling Services (SCS) at the University each provide counseling options uniquely tailored to students. This allows students to receive the kind of care they need through the University, so long as they are willing to undergo the process.
Though there are differences between Boynton Mental Health and SCS, they operate under the same “mental health umbrella,” according to the Office for Student Affairs.
Psychotherapist and Associate Director of Boynton Clinic Cecelia Bloomquist said the first step for students seeking counseling services at Boynton is to set up a mental health consultation. She said this is usually a 30-minute appointment where the student can speak with a mental health professional, express concerns and explain what kind of service they are looking for.
“It’s kind of our point of entry,” Bloomquist said.
The goal of this appointment is to gain a high-level understanding of what is happening with the student so the mental health professional can find the right service for them, Bloomquist said. These appointments can be scheduled over the phone or through Boynton’s online portal, launched last year to improve accessibility to mental health resources.
Bloomquist said people can typically get in for a consultation at Boynton within two weeks, with better availability during the summer. Following the consultation, students make one-on-one appointments to see a professional.
According to Bloomquist, the busiest times of year for Boynton counseling coincide with midterms and final exams in both spring and fall semesters. She said these are the times in which stress levels are higher, causing an increase in demand for service and possibly longer wait times.
Boynton has struggled with technology issues on its website in the past, Bloomquist said, which has prevented students from seeing all open appointments online. Though she said Boynton is working diligently to resolve these issues, for now, it can lead to miscommunication on accessibility.
SCS Staff Psychologist and Outreach Coordinator Jake Loeffler said SCS has similar peak times. He added the student’s availability impacts how quickly they will match with an SCS mental health professional.
If a student has a higher or more urgent need for counseling, Boynton offers an urgent counseling service where students can walk into the clinic and get help. Bloomquist said this option works similarly to urgent care for physical ailments.
“You go in and then you get a triage,” Bloomquist said. “They see what your concerns are, and then they will try to help you in the moment with that.”
Loeffler said SCS has a similar intake process for one-on-one counseling. Students seeking care have an initial consultation with an SCS counselor, where they talk about goals and the counselor offers resources.
Loeffler said SCS offers short-term counseling that aims to confront a specific goal in a semester. The center may refer students seeking long-term counseling to community providers.
“A longer-term setting might be, ‘I want to get to know myself better,’” Loeffler said. “And that’s a more broad question. It’s a more broad agenda item.”
Loeffler said short-term counseling is more strategic — identifying a problem and implementing skills to confront it.
Unlike SCS, Boynton Counseling does not have a limited number of sessions, according to Loeffler. While a student may visit Boynton for counseling as long as they are a student at the University, SCS limits students to 25 lifetime sessions in the interest of helping as many students as possible.
“We really focus on quality care, and so when somebody gets in with us, we’re going to make sure that we provide them quality care,” Loeffler said. “But trying to balance having the right amount of counselors for the demand is tricky.”
During the academic year, Boynton can serve people in the urgent mental health clinic within one to two hours, according to Bloomquist. Last academic year, the waiting period for the initial brief consultation appointment did not extend beyond two weeks, and for urgent counseling, students were able to be seen by a mental health provider on the same day, she added.
Boynton does not typically have a waiting list for either the consultation or an initial counseling appointment, Bloomquist said.
Because care is uniquely tailored to each student’s wants and needs, Bloomquist said the period between the consultation and initial appointment varies based on the student seeking care.
For example, Bloomquist is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, a mental health treatment technique involving specific eye movement while one processes traumatic memories. If a student was looking to be treated with this specific therapy technique, they would have to wait for Bloomquist to be available, which may be a longer wait.
For those who seek one-on-one counseling, there are alternative options. For example, Bloomquist said Boynton will offer group counseling through a program called Skillful U, in which a group of students can meet to talk about day-to-day concerns and brainstorm skills to confront those concerns.
Bloomquist said Boynton also offers specifically tailored counseling for students struggling with a specific issue, like group therapy for students with ADHD or social anxiety.
Another alternative to one-on-one counseling is Let’s Talk, a program through SCS offering virtual and in-person drop-in consultations during the academic year in East Bank, West Bank and St. Paul locations, according to its website. Though it is not a substitute for formal counseling, it is a valuable resource for students struggling with their mental health.
Loeffler said students may come into Let’s Talk to speak with a mental health professional for the first time, get answers to questions about therapy or discuss with an objective third party.
Bloomquist said the main difference between Boynton counseling and traditional off-campus counseling is the campus connection between Boynton and students.
“We only see students,” Bloomquist said. “So we understand the reality of a student. We are inside the University. We understand the calendar year. We understand what’s happening on campus.”
Mental health counseling can be important for many reasons, said Liza Meredith, a University psychology professor. While some may benefit from counseling by implementing strategies to manage their emotions, others may appreciate getting a third-party perspective on their issues.
“If you’re having problems with your friend and your friend is the person that you normally talk to about your problem, then you’re kind of stuck,” Meredith said. “And so having a neutral third party perspective, someone that’s not involved in your life and who is a confidential resource can be really helpful.”
Counseling is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach, Meredith said. Practices such as journaling, meditation, exercise or prayer may also be good options for those struggling.
Meredith said there may be added benefits for college students, particularly incoming students and outgoing graduates.
“Pretty much every aspect of their life is changing,” Meredith said. “And so I think there’s an additional benefit of sort of having someone that you can talk to while you’re making a major change in your life.”