As midterms pass and final exams draw near, students find themselves juggling exams, work-study commitments, and personal challenges while managing the weight of stress. The Director of Counseling and Student Development and Interim Vice President for Equity and Well-Being, Michael Russo, shares the Wellness Center’s strategies to support students’ most stressful moments.

Russo said anxiety as a significant issue amongst students with an increased demand for counseling services post-pandemic. Counseling demand rose by 12%, with average wait times over nine days for individual counseling, affected by student schedules and peak periods such as midterms or exams week.

Several factors affect the wait time for students to meet with counselors, including the student’s schedule and the time of year. Regarding scheduling, Russo said the times appointments are available may not match the student’s schedule.

“As we get closer to midterms and again finals,” Russo said. “We see increases in the number of students who are coming in for services.”

According to Russo, the Wellness Center has adapted to longer wait times. Students who wish to be seen sooner have options for immediate access outside of individual sessions, such as support groups. Additionally, if a student is in crisis, Russo said, whether due to suicidal thoughts, experiences of assault, or feeling completely overwhelmed, they should notify the center to receive immediate assistance.

“One of the things that is really encouraging,” Russo said. “Even though we saw an increase in the number of students who are receiving crisis services, we had a very low number of transports last year from the counseling center.”

The number of transports refers to students needing to go to the hospital for further evaluation and stabilization.

“We really encourage students to engage in these [support] groups and give them a try,” Russo said. “It’s certainly a much better option than waiting for an individual counseling session, in my view.”

Russo also shared two initiatives that were launched this year.

“We contracted with a company called Protocall, and that’s an after-hours crisis service,” Russo said. “So, during times when the wellness center is closed, meaning the evenings or weekends or holidays, Protocall is available.”

Russo said they continue promoting mental health first aid and the trauma initiative in collaboration with Klingberg Family Centers and their Traumatic Stress Institute, located in New Britain.

“We’ll be continuing to promote mental health first aid for faculty and staff to be trained on how to identify when a student may be struggling with a mental health issue and how to get them to the services so that they can get the support they need,” Russo said.

The ‘Student Wellness Center’ is open Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Willard DiLoreto Hall. For students who would like to access help outside of the center’s business hours, contact Protocall at 860-832-1212.