As students settle into the routine of a new semester, some will inevitably encounter obstacles before the semester ends. For students who experience issues affecting their mental health, some of them will reach out to counselors and therapists available at San Diego State, unfortunately many will go untreated.
SDSU Calpulli Center’s Director of Counseling & Psychological Services, Dr. Sandy Jorgensen- Funk, encourages students not only to seek help if needed, but to seek help before their problems escalate.
However, many students who need help do not visit C&PS because they are unaware of the services available.
As explained in a video produced by C&PS, research from The Healthy Minds Study of 2009 found 30 percent of SDSU students did not know mental health services are available. Health Services are included with basic tuition and fees for students.
The three-minute informational video is available on C&PS’s website. At the time of publication, the video received 321 views, but is accessible to more than 30,000 students on campus. The services included are telephone consultation, therapy, crisis intervention and a center for well-being, where students can take part in stress management and relaxation activities.
According to the video, in the past year 37 percent of SDSU students thought they needed help for a mental or emotional problem. Although students are aware of their struggles, Jorgensen-Funk said the stigma surrounding mental health may complicate the process of asking for helping.
“Asking for help can be hard, especially when you fear that you might be judged or stereotyped for doing so,” Jorgensen-Funk said. “What we want people toknow is that it is a common experience for students to struggle with various issues throughout college.”
According to Jorgensen-Funk, students tend to stress about relationships, academics, the balance between school and social activities and adjusting to a new environment. The C&PS video gives more specific examples, which include students being too anxious to study, coping with problems and hating their jobs. These examples among others emphasized in the video reveal no problem is insignificant if causes personal turmoil.
Each year, Jorgensen-Funk sees an increase of students contacting C&PS when their stress peaks from the middle until the end of the semester. While Jorgensen-Funk said students should address their problems eventually, the staff at C&PS wants students to know they do not need to wait until they feel they are in a crisis to seek help.
“Talking with a counselor before the situation becomes a crisis can enable the student to deal with the situation and prevent it from becoming more severe,” Jorgensen-Funk said. “Remember that as humans, we all know what it feels like.
