Increased Demand for Services: Information & Resources

*Click for self-care tips and resources for mental health services*

Dear Campus Community,

The University of Louisville Counseling Center’s (ULCC) first and foremost priority is to provide effective and ethical psychological care to the students of the UofL campus community.  During the 2017-18 academic year, we scheduled over 6800 individual, couples, and group appointments with students. We also conducted over 250 urgent consultation/walk-in crisis sessions.  In addition, we reached over 3100 students, faculty, and staff through campus outreach.

We are currently experiencing an unprecedented demand for services. This has been a trend at college and university counseling centers across the country.  In light of our commitment to caring for the student body, we have taken several steps to continue to provide support:

We are continuing to offer urgent consultations on a walk-in basis Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:00pm for students who find themselves with an urgent concern or in crisis. In addition, we are urging students to consider joining one of our treatment or support groups, as they are all typically open and accepting new students throughout Fall and Spring semesters. Group is an effective treatment modality for a range of common presenting issues. A full list of groups and descriptions can be found on our website: louisville.edu/counseling/groups. We are continuing to schedule students for individual therapy as we are able.

The Counseling Center was recently granted funding through Dr. Bendapudi’s Student Success Initiative for an additional counselor position. We are grateful for the support for mental health on campus and see this funding as a testament to the University’s commitment to caring for students’ psychological well-being.

We are collaborating with Student Advocacy in researching the implementation of “pop-up” workshops at several locations on campus that will address some of the most common presenting issues among the student body, including anxiety, stress management, depression, coping strategies and adjusting to change.

For those students who are interested in beginning individual therapy and would prefer not to wait, we will continue to provide a list of self-care tips and resources, some of which offer free services or fees on a sliding scale. Many students are eligible for mental health care via their insurance coverage. Those with a student insurance policy through United Healthcare can contact the Insurance Advocate at Campus Health, Camille Smith, at 852-6519 or stuins@louisville.edu for assistance, or visit www.uhcsr.com. Students whose parents/guardians/partners/spouses are UofL employees may be eligible for services through UofL’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Students can contact EAP for more information by calling 589-HELP (4357) or visiting www.humandev.com. We are happy to assist students with contact information for other insurance providers.

We, at the UofL Counseling Center, are deeply invested in our students’ psychological well-being, as it is a critical component of student success. Based on data from our most recent feedback survey, 95% of respondents were satisfied with their overall experience at ULCC, 97% would refer a friend to us, and 93% felt that their experience at ULCC would contribute to a more fulfilling life after leaving the University of Louisville. We remain committed to finding strategic and creative ways to continue to help students get the support that they need in our offices, across campus, and in the community.  We welcome your input and suggestions and are thankful for your support and understanding.