Off-campus referrals and therapy are often a natural complement to the services provided by a University Counseling Center (UCC). Referrals tend to be offered when a student would benefit from more frequent sessions than offered by a university, or as in recent years, when there is a significant increase in demand for UCC services and the university does not have enough resources to manage this demand.
Between 2010-2015, student utilization of UCCs increased by 30%, while university enrollment during that period only increased by 5%. Research suggests decreased stigma, an increase in mental health prevalence rates, and UCCs limited resources are all contributing factors for this increase.
And the trend seems likely to continue. “We can’t build a counseling center big enough to deal with this problem,” said Dr. Paul Barreira, Director at Harvard University Health Services. UCCs are using wait lists, session limits, and, increasingly, off-campus referrals to manage the demand.
So if you’re referred off campus, it doesn’t mean your problems are ‘too big’, or ‘you’re crazy’. It may simply be a function of your UCCs staffing capabilities or it may be the best type of treatment for you.
How The Shrink Space can Help
The Shrink Space increases student access to off-campus mental health care by digitizing schools’ off-campus referral resources. We help students connect with mental health providers and we expand schools’ referral resources and networks. We do all this on a mobile-friendly platform, eliminating the frustration of missed voicemails, unreturned phone calls, or sifting through complicated insurance terms.
Currently, we’re partnered with a number of counseling centers across the country. If you live in one of the cities where we are located, but don’t attend one of these schools, don’t worry, you can still use TSS! Just go to The Shrink Space. If we are not currently working with your school and you’re interested in getting your college on board, please send us a note at contact@theshrinkspace.com. We’d love to hear from you!
