The wait list for McGill University’s mental health and counselling services has decreased this school year following new session limits and a $400,000 grant from the university’s student services surplus fund.
Robert Franck, director of Mental Health Services, said the grant was given to address the wait list crisis it had been experiencing. Mental Health Services and Counselling Services each received $200,000, Franck said.
The equivalent of two full-time therapists have been hired for each clinic. As a result, the wait list for Mental Health Services has decreased from 270 to 56 students since the grant, while wait times for Counselling Services have dropped from seven weeks to one or two, he said.
Franck said a newly instituted 16-session limit for students in therapy has limited wait times.
“Of course if a student needed to be seen more frequently they would be. This is not a hard and fast rule,” Franck said.
Mental Health and Counselling Services saw over 8,000 students last year—roughly one-fifth of the student population.
“It’s not fair to put students on a wait list, and three months go by and nothing happens,” he said.
Despite the one-time only boost in funding, Franck said the new services and reduced wait times are sustainable in the long term.
“In Mental Health Services we have not used that money yet, and yet our wait times are now half of what they were last year,” he said.
But Jana Luker, director of Student Services, said she is concerned about the stability of the program.
“The uptake of our mental health and counselling services is increasing so dramatically,” she said. “We don’t have any space left. We may have to increase our hours or work on weekends, and if that’s the support students need, we’ll have to increase the Student Services fee.”
Franck also credited new student-led mental health initiatives at McGill including the Peer Support Network, and Unleash the Noise, a mental health innovation summit taking place at the end of the month.
“Wellness and outreach approaches are key in being proactive so students don’t end up with clinical issues,” Franck said. “It gives students ways to deal with stress besides alcohol and pot.”
In September 2013, McGill cancelled a $20 mental health registration fee it had implemented in May 2013. A Counselling Services fee was also discontinued.
“It was our decision collectively to say ‘we need to rethink this, we need to get funds from somewhere else, we can’t just impose a registration fee on students,’” Franck said.
At Carleton University, fees for Health and Counselling Services are included in tuition. Patty Allen, a mental health nurse for Health and Counselling Services, said trained nurses are on hand to conduct an initial assessment so patients can see a physician if they require immediate assistance.
For less severe cases, initial assessments usually take two to three days, and Allen said the wait time typically is no more than two weeks to see a counsellor.
Andres Acero, a Carleton student with depression, said while he did not experience too long of a wait considering his specific needs, a long wait time might be difficult for others.
“Mental health issues are complex and throwing money at an issue isn’t always going to fix it. Awareness and putting the services we have in everybody’s face is important,” Acero said.
