Students disappointed by mental health services at CSUSB
Zarin Rahime and Anthony Teig wrote this article for Cal State San Bernardino’s Coyote Chronicle. It is available for republication or reference. If you think their work is important, you can support it here.
Despite the counseling and psychological services offered at CSUSB, students have bemoaned the lack of concern for their mental health needs. This conclusion was made after receiving complaints from a number of students who indicated that the center had either ignored or taken a much longer time to respond to their requests for mental health services.
In an interview with Ashley Maayah, a senior student, the lack of response to the desperate needs of the students undergoing mental health counseling is another blow to the situation. “I have tried to call the center for help in the past, and at that time, they told me there were too many students who needed help. I didn’t get the help that I needed, and it was discouraging,” said Maayah.
In an effort to confirm the claims, we reached out to the Counseling and Psychological Center, assuming that at-least most people could address our questions. Unfortunately, we were informed that only the director was responsible for answering the questions. Our efforts proved futile as the response was not detailed and not what we expected.
In her email, Dr. O’Keefe, the Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, indicated that our needs were not a priority, nor was it necessary to respond to our questions. When approached for an interview for this article via email, she said “To be fair, we also do not give interviews for class projects as we would not be able to accommodate multiple requests”.
The questionnaire formulated for the interview consisted of simplistic and unbiased questions, which was a missed opportunity to advocate for the seminars and workshops that are being offered to students via email.
Some students have labeled that as a lack of concern since the efforts made by the students are not mere projects, but projects that they seek to translate into practice. Regardless of the type of project, pursuing the how is an important endeavor for students who consume news. Students pick topics that reflect issues that affect their lives in many different ways, and it is important that they are listened to, says Dr. Gregory Gondwe, the Coyote Chronicles supervisor.
CSUSB’s Counseling and Psychological Services supports the university’s mission of academic success and social justice through promoting the mental well-being of CSUSB students, the campus community, and the surrounding region. This is achieved through mental health counseling, advocacy, and outreach and consultation in a safe, supportive, and culturally-informed environment.
Along with other minuscule charges that the majority of CSUSB students aren’t aware of, anywhere up to $150 dollars of their tuition proceeds towards health services. With these charges, CSUSB offers “free” therapy, but there are multiple cases of students not receiving the necessary attention due to shorthanded therapists on campus.
With CSUSB students returning to campus for their classes, the topic of mental health awareness is a rising factor for the university. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered millions of lives through online education, the closure of businesses, physical and mental health outcomes, and more. What is still unknown is whether the return to in-person mode will exacerbate the problem, given that a large number of students may be seeking services, or will the counseling and psychological centers expand their services to accommodate the needs of the students they serve?