Mental health and suicide prevention are getting more attention, but the services to help those afflicted are still lacking.
Students at Carleton seeking mental health services are limited to eight to 12 sessions with a counsellor, and students who are not in crisis are often added to a long waitlist.
Although the system rightly prioritizes students in crisis, it leaves those who aren’t suicidal without help. If these students were able to access counselling earlier, less students would end up in crisis, and less students would spend their time at Carleton suffering from mental health issues instead of enjoying university life. The prioritization system also discourages those who would benefit from treatment, but aren’t in urgent danger from seeking help when they might wonder if they’re taking away a counsellor from someone who might need it more.
The Carleton Health and Counselling Services are doing the best they can under the current system, but it needs to be revised. There should be a crisis counselling option for students who need help immediately, separated from long-term counselling services for students who need consistent help.
Each system could employ separate counsellors to ensure everyone who seeks help receives it without students needing consistent care being constantly waitlisted.
Suicide prevention needs to start when the problem does, not at the crisis stage, and students should feel like they will be taken care of no matter what stage they are at.
