Mental health concerns among students are increasing dramatically. “CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) director Kim Caluza, PsyD, says Seattle U students’ most common mental health concerns have demonstrated a growth trend over the last four years and align with those of college students nationwide. They are anxiety, depression and relationship matters (Potterf & Black, 2019).”
CAPS serves as a gateway for students and provides access to treatment plans, limited therapy, and connection to resources and longer term counseling if necessary.
Due to the increased number of students needing access to the care that CAPS provides, the university is taking action. An endowment called Campaign for Seattle University: Mental Health and Wellness Endowment will “allow CAPS to hire a fulltime permanent case manager who will be tasked with connecting students to ongoing specialized care when necessary (Potterf & Black, 2019)."
The endowment has gained $1.45 million so far from donor contributions with a total goal of $2 million to be fully funded. The endowment will provide a number of other increased benefits for students including:
- "Grow the number of direct service providers, including additional licensed clinicians.
- Fund campus-wide training on how to recognize and proactively support students needing help.
- Increase the number of broad-based support groups and workshops providing coping skills and tools (Potterf & Black, 2019).”
Read the full story at the Seattle University Newsroom.
Visit the Counseling and Psychological Services webpage to learn more about their services here.