{"id":17636,"date":"2023-12-18T10:13:03","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T10:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newmarketsvp.com\/?p=17636"},"modified":"2023-12-18T10:31:54","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T10:31:54","slug":"the-state-of-mental-health-across-wisconsins-public-universities-in-4-charts-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newmarketsvp.com\/2023\/12\/18\/the-state-of-mental-health-across-wisconsins-public-universities-in-4-charts-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The state of mental health across Wisconsin’s public universities in 4 charts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Late fall is crunch time for John Achter and his team of counselors across the state public university system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The novelty of the new school year has worn off, the realities of classes have set in and finals are looming. An increasing number of students have been seeking counseling in recent years, often during this stressful period of the semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question for institutions is how to provide mental health support amid high staff turnover and budget constraints. Finding an answer can be the difference between a student dropping out or graduating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Between 2012 and 2022, UW counseling centers helped retain about 20,000 students who said they were thinking of leaving school before receiving counseling and indicated that counseling helped them stay on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One temporary solution showing some promise: teleheath services. UW campuses contracted with an outside provider earlier this year, helping alleviate caseloads at understaffed campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We\u2019re very thankful to be able to jump in and respond at a really important time,” Achter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data from the state’s public universities sheds light on the supply and demand of student counseling centers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are several reasons why people might avoid seeking mental health services, said Riley McGrath, counseling director at UW-Eau Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cost is a big barrier. But college students pay annual fees instead of out-of-pocket for services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second barrier is proximity \u2212 not much of an issue for students living on or near campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stigma is often the third barrier, but colleges and students have done much work on this front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When you do a good job removing the top three barriers, the floodgates open up,” McGrath said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearly 15,000 students sought campus counseling services last school year, the second highest since tracking began in 2012-13. On average, students attended five sessions with a counselor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More UW students come onto campuses with a history of mental health treatment. The percentage of counseling clients reporting previous counseling, a history of medication or prior hospitalization exceeds national averages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indicators of poor mental health among UW students, such as suicide attempts, have been on the rise in recent years, though data from last year show some signs of tapering off. The number of counseling clients with a history of suicidal thoughts (35%), non-suicidal self-injury (28%) and suicide attempts (11%) were higher than a decade ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n