Since the establishment of Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949, May has been recognized as the opportunity to promote mental wellness, making it a suitable time to raise awareness and remind students about the mental health services at Mt. SAC.
Mental Health Awareness Month is a major annual commemoration established by Mental Health America which promotes the importance of mental well-being, the overcoming of stigma and providing support for those who are struggling with mental health challenges.
According to World Health Organization surveys, there has been about 20% of college students who had experienced a mental disorder within the past year. Mental Health Awareness Month and mental health services are important because it addresses the many problems and they give students available resources.
Mental health services are provided at the two centers on campus, building 67B, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and building 9E, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
According to Mt. SAC’s mental health resources, student health services is working toward a campus wide, integrated system to serve students’ mental health needs. At the moment, there are many services available for students with the new integrated system already implemented.
The services that are currently available on campus have six to eight therapy sessions per academic school year for enrolled students who have paid their student fees and are enrolled in at least one unit. The mental health services provide individual, short-term mental health counseling.
However, according to Mary Butterly, a licensed professional and mental health clinician for Behavioral Health Services, there has been a new development for non-credit students that will give them the opportunity to receive individual counseling with a therapist.
“Maybe students don’t know about that. We can inform them that even students who don’t come here with credits, still have access to mental health services through this other provider,” Butterly said.
Additionally, there’s been counseling services have been available for Mt. SAC employees and student workers to support work-related and personal concerns. However, according to Butterly, the program is most likely to be discontinued in October because of financial problems.
“There are a lot of employees that need help too, because it’s sometimes stressful. An employee might have an event like they’re divorcing or something and they need support too,” Butterly said.
According to Butterly, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is still in place, employees are provided with about eight counseling sessions where they’re allowed to discuss their personal problems and concerns. Additionally, the EAP program serves as a safety net by giving employees access to some mental health support.
When it comes to confidentiality for students and staff, Butterly explains that everything is kept private as if they were speaking to a lawyer. However, there are the usual exceptions. If a student tells a therapist they are suicidal, homicidal or experiencing any kind of harm or abuse, it is not confidential.
Other than that, she explains that the person’s grades, relationships, family and anything excluding life threatening circumstances is confidential and private.
“We are mandated reporters in the state. We have to act to project the student and protect whoever else is in danger, ” Butterly said.
Recently, the health services at Mt. SAC received a new system for their Electronic Health Record as well. Therapists at Mt. SAC can send secure messages to students, send them documents to help them if needed and hotline numbers.
Additionally, if a student ever calls during the middle of the night, they’ll be able to talk to a live person as if it were an emergency hotline.
Butterly explains how the services available to students are very beneficial. In accordance to her, they prepare students for life events, workshops and offer them coping strategies they can use. Students will learn how to handle things for themselves, because there may come a time when the only person available to help them is themselves.
Additionally, in-person therapy is not the only service available for mental health, phone calls and Zoom meetings are also available for students who probably can not make it in person. The Health Services at Mt. SAC tries to help their students the best they can, even if it’s done remotely.
Butterly encourages students to take advantage of the mental health services available at Mt. SAC, because when she was asked whether mental health has become a larger issue, she explained that many students will rely on AI for help.
“My friendly free advice would be to come here and talk to us, we’ll help you. We’ll do whatever we can to support you. We’ll get you connected to your resources, you know, if you need somebody to make the phone calls for you,” Butterly said.
Butterly clarifies that if there is ever a crisis where a student walks in with an emergency, they’ll help them right away. The student becomes a top priority for the therapist, so they’ll drop everything and help the person in need.
“I’m always willing to help. So not to rely on trusting your mental health to AI, but to trust it to behavior health services. We are trained therapists, we’re all licensed and we’re here to help. It’s better to connect with a real person.”
Mt. SAC’s mental health services provide quick and effective help for the students in need of it. With experienced and licensed professionals, their treatment can help resolve problems.
