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Western Students Explain How Student Health Services Can Improve

Becca Serena
Western Contributor
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Western chapter.

The webpage for Student Health Services (SHS) claims that the service offers “free individual counselling to all registered students.” Its team includes psychiatrists, physician psychotherapists, and social workers which are supposed to be available to students year round. However, the evidence that students are being turned away when in immediate crisis and the unprofessional behaviour of many of these “professionals” is astounding, and something needs to change. And it needs to change NOW.

However, how is the service supposed to change if those in charge don’t even know what is happening within their own clinic? How can the school respond in the ways that we need it to if we can’t offer any solutions? Well, here are 10 student solutions to fixing the mental health services on campus.

  1. Hire more professionals in order to solve lengthy wait times, especially due to the influx of students requiring mental health services.

  2. Increased sensitivity training for ALL employees of SHS, especially in regards to speaking with students about suicide (most students are uncomfortable immediately disclosing that they are suicidal to a complete stranger).

  3. Do not refuse students diagnoses based on the stigma of certain disorders.

  4. Increased awareness and promotion of other mental health resources on and off campus, such as the Student Development Center and nearby drop in clinics. A note in the bus passes is not enough.

  5. Remove or lessen “surprise fees” for missing appointments with psychiatrists, physician psychotherapists, and social workers. Missing an appointment for having a panic attack or being in crisis should NOT be punished.

  6. Have professionals as the primary facilitator between those seeking mental health services, rather than students.

  7. Investigate WHY there seems to be an increase in students struggling with mental health on campus. Is there something the university system is missing?

  8. Acknowledge how difficult it is to even make the first step to even ask for help.

  9. Do not turn away students who admit to being suicidal, regardless of wait times.

  10. Address these concerns BEFORE the University preaches about being passionate about mental health.

Becca Serena wrote for Her Campus Western (Ontario) from 2015-2018. Beginning as a general writer, she made her way to Social Media Manager in 2016 and became a Chapter Advisor of five chapters from January to April of 2017. She serves as Editor-in-Chief and Co-Campus Correspondent for the 2017-2018 term. This venue saw Serena’s passion for writing brave and controversial pieces grow as her dedication to feminism strengthened.
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