From our Director of TCU Counseling and Mental Health, Dr. Eric Wood
College mental health has been a hot topic of discussion, especially since 2020. There are so many narratives, information overload, and opinions out there that it might seem overwhelming. As such, I wanted to be transparent about the state of college mental health (as I see it) and how this has impacted TCU. I also want to highlight some examples of the amazing support that we have received from parents/families of TCU students.
Many mainstream articles or headlines share the narrative that college and universities are being overwhelmed by students with mental health concerns, and that there’s nothing that schools can do about this. In addition, you might have heard about “the great exodus” in which many staff counselors (including the directors of counseling centers) have left higher education to pursue less stressful and higher paying jobs, such as opening a private practice.
Such narratives develop because the challenges to our field are real. For example, as indicated by a survey of counseling center directors, a common wait time to schedule a session amongst various schools is between 4-5 weeks. Within the state of Texas alone, I know of a university that, last spring, could only offer “single sessions” from March until May. I know of another institution that lost 8 staff members, multiple institutions in which the counseling center director resigned, and a one university who lost multiple members of the counseling leadership team. Even at TCU, we experienced a 45% increase in demand for counseling services the year following the onset of the pandemic, and a 48% increase, on top of the previous 45% increase, that next year. In addition, two of our staff members transitioned into private practice.
Despite these challenges, TCU has received national recognition as a leader of college mental health. Since 2020, we’ve trained over 100 different colleges and universities on aspects of our counseling model. Our national rankings rose to #6 Best Counseling Services in 2020 (previously unranked) and #4 Best Student Support and Counseling Services in 2022 by the Princeton review. We’ve been featured in publications such as The Harvard Business Review, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, The Mary Christie Institution, and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. This is in addition to myself being previously mentioned in publications such as The New York Times, US News & World Report, and the Texas Tribune. Though our challenges are real and remain, we’ve also had a lot of successes.
Our relationships with parents/families of TCU students has inspired some of our best-known innovations. It was parents who helped us work with community providers to bring specialized services to campus for students with high mental health needs. Having these services on campus is absolutely vital because it increases access to care, reduces stigma, and ensures that our students are seeking treatment with relatable peers. I can tell you stories about how these programs have helped students stay in school, get treatment that they never thought was possible, and even prevent an attempt of self-injury and/or suicide. Having these services on campus also allows my staff more time to provide counseling to other students.
Many schools don’t offer any specialized services, and students with high mental health needs are typically not treated at a campus counseling center. However, here’s a list of our specialized services Counseling & Mental Health Center | Specialized Services (tcu.edu). As such, I want to thank you for the support that we’ve received. The cost of these services go beyond the tuition benefit and some students can’t afford access to them, even with their insurance. However, parents/families helped established the initial funds to cover many of these programs, and we were recently gifted an endowment to help raise more funds so that these services can always be available to our students.
Let me briefly describe two of our specialized services, the first being our Equine Assisted Therapy Program. Equine Assisted Counseling uses interactive group sessions with horses (yes, real horses) to facilitate emotional regulation and positive coping skills. It provides students the opportunity to learn effective stress management skills, how to identify inner thoughts and emotions, reduce high anxiety, practice healthy self-care, and foster health relationships. In addition, this type of therapy is presented in a natural, calm, and safe outdoor environment.
We are one of the few centers in America to have a full equine assisted therapy program. Our program consists of five equine group sessions (each session lasting 1.5 hours), facilitated by a certified equine therapist, who is supported by a horse specialist on staff. Logistically, we cannot host this program on campus, but to reduce the possible barriers to treatment, we partnered with our Campus Recreation and Wellness Promotion to provide transportation to the ranch site. Additionally, students attend a skills-based workshop at the counseling center, which are facilitated by members of Wellness Promotion and include a free lunch.
This program was initially funded by a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. However, after the grant ended, we received support from parents/families, and, now, the equine program has tripled in size this Fall semester. In addition, we already have a list of students who wish to attend in the Spring.
The second program that I want to highlight is our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for students struggling with substance use issues. As many know, college years can be a time when persistent issues with substance use begin; however, this is also the best time to treat these issues. The prognosis for recovery can be much higher if treatment is received right when the issues emerge, and/or during the formative years, as opposed to 10-15 years post-graduation. With that said, many students have a stigma about seeking treatment for substance use while in college. Some might think their issues are normative, fear asking for help is a sign of weakness, or worry they will have to attend therapy groups that resemble the serotypes reflected in movies and with individuals that the student cannot relate to.
As such, we are fortunate to have an IOP (intensive outpatient program) for substance use issues on campus. Having such a program on campus and dedicated to TCU students removes a lot of barriers. Furthermore, we will soon offer stipends to help cover the cost of these program. In addition to this specialized service, we have an amazing Collegiate Recovery Community, which is a student-led Peer Support Community open to any student who wishes to change any aspects of their substance use. This community hosts alcohol-free events, including football and baseball tailgates, monthly brunches, and other events throughout the fall and spring semesters. Many of these programs are, again, supported by parents/families. Specifically, an endowed Recovery fund was established in 2019 by TCU parents which allows this community to be supported in perpetuity – and other parents and families can contribute to help it grow.
I also want to take the opportunity to boast about our students. The Collegiate Recovery Community is just one example of how students have rallied their support for each other. Another example is our Frog Connect program, which provides students ways to connect with other students to go to athletic events, have campus meals, and attend campus events. This program was the creation of a group of amazing students from the Neeley School of Business. Furthermore, it was students in our Peer Support Communities who inspired our Virtual Letter of Care Campaign, which is a modern version of “pen pals” to send encouraging words to each other. This campaign was so popular we had to pause it in order to recruit more Student Writers; however, we are planning a relaunch this Spring. In addition, our Supportive Gaming Community (who insist on playing table-top role-playing games to break the isolation of video games) has about 6 different sub-groups and break out communities, and is easily our fastest growing Peer Support Community.
I could go on and on with feel good stories of how parents/families have supported our center and to give examples of how students have been encouraging each other. Even if I did, I would still be overlooking the work that our individual staff therapists and front office staff have performed, the personal talks that I’ve had with our Chancellor about ways to further support our students, the encouraging emails I have received from members of our faculty, and all of ways the Division of Student Affairs have collaborated with us to expand our reach to students. As stated, no campus counseling center is without challenges these days, but TCU’s Counseling and Mental Health Center is truly surrounded by support and in a position to serve as a leader in the field.
It’s an honor to serve as the director of Counseling and Mental Health at TCU. I dare say that, personally, I’ve received more support from our administration, parents, and community than any colleague that I know. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns about the counseling center. My email is e.c.wood@tcu.edu and I’m always happy to speak with parents and families of our students.
Eric Wood, Ph.D., LPC
Director- TCU Counseling and Mental Health
Licensed Psychologist/Licensed Professional Counselor
www.counseling.tcu.edu
817-257-7863