At the University of South Carolina, mental health and the emotional well-being of students is a top priority. USC devotes significant resources to providing the best possible care to students and has been recognized as a national leader among higher education institutions for these efforts.
Students in need of help are not alone. In addition to our individual and group counseling, our Counseling Center has walk-in hours available during operating hours to any student seeking care, including graduate students. We encourage students who are in crisis to walk in at any time. Counseling and Psychiatry has a structured crisis response team who are prepared to respond 24/7 to mental health emergencies on campus. Our Community, Consultation and Intervention is a service that allows all students, faculty, staff and family members to call the counseling office if they are concerned about a student.
To enhance access to mental health services and accommodate students’ busy schedules, we have recently expanded our regular counseling hours to 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
USC utilizes a “Patient-Centered Medical Home” model for health care that promotes comprehensive patient well-being. That means mental health professionals reside in the medical clinics (primary care) to assist patients who need immediate attention due to mental health concerns and to administer screenings to students who may be in distress. Same-day care is given to students who need help.
If a student needs help talking with their professors about a mental health concern, counseling staff can assist students on how to best approach those discussions, and additional resources, including how to identify warning signs and mental health self-assessments can be found on Student Health Services' website.
We are proud of the efforts we’ve made to address mental issues and remove the stigmas often associated with mental illness. In fact, USC is one of the few schools nationwide to be awarded the JED Campus seal for demonstrating an ongoing commitment to the emotional well-being of students. Our ratio of counselors-to-students is ranked as one of the best in the nation, and our staff currently consists of 29 licensed counselors. Additional case managers assist with the follow-up and ongoing care of students. Our psychiatry department also has four board-certified psychiatrists on staff in addition to a mental health nurse practitioner and physician assistant.
Our Counseling and Psychiatry department also provides training opportunities for students who are interested in helping others, including opportunities for graduate-level and post-doctorate psychology internships as well as social work and counselor education for students. It’s important to note that student sessions are carefully supervised by licensed providers and account for less than 15 percent of our daily student appointments.
Our training program is accredited through the American Psychological Association and our Counseling & Psychiatry department recently was reaffirmed in its accreditation through the Association of Accreditation of Ambulatory Healthcare. These are voluntary accreditations based on rigorous standards, and we have sought them to ensure we are providing the highest levels of quality to our students.
We have also worked to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. While the recent Stigma Free USC Week activities and website are not managed by Student Health Services, we launched a campus-wide “Be Real. Be There. Mental Health Matters” multimedia campaign last year that included more than 20 students who spoke about their own struggles and how getting help made a difference in their lives.
I hope this serves to give students a better understanding of the resources available to them and of our commitment to student emotional well-being. Student Health Services has trained, dedicated professionals who are here to help. Please reach out if you or someone you know needs assistance at 803-777-5223 or our website.