With most COVID-19 restrictions lifted, the Marshall University Counseling Center turns its focus to offering students group therapy options in hopes of further reducing the stigma surrounding mental health care. 

The Counseling Center saw a record number of students in the spring of 2022, according to its director, Dr. Candace Layne. At its midpoint, the fall 2022 semester appointment numbers surpassed last year’s numbers with 2,608 appointments made since Aug. 22. 

“We have had more appointments this year because we increased our group therapy offerings,” Layne said. “We went from doing one group session a semester to now eight going at one time. It’s helped give students another resource to use, but it has slowed down our walk-ins and our intake appointments.”

As campus gatherings are able to reconvene, the counseling center is taking full advantage to expand its presence on campus and begin to break down hurdles for people looking to obtain counseling services.  

“The draw for students to these group therapy sessions is that they do kind of reduce the stigma because you aren’t going to ‘therapy,’ you’re going to an activity,” Layne said. “I think it makes people more comfortable, especially to have other people there too. When I first came here, one of the first things I wanted to do was increase outreach and prevention events. I think we really have done a lot of that, whereas before our events were hit or miss. Now, it’s very rare for our events to be hit or miss.”

Nationally, individuals on college campuses report higher levels of anxiety and depression than any other mental health issue, according to Layne. She went on to say that last year the Counseling Center reported higher levels of anxiety and depression at Marshall in comparison to the national average. 

“In combination with anxiety and depression, there’s been a lot of students verbalizing their trauma like childhood neglect, childhood abandonment and childhood abuse,” Layne said. “We’ve seen a lot of that this semester to the point our assistant director focuses more on the clinical parts and ‘leveling’ students. We’re wondering if maybe it’s increased because kids were at home during COVID.”

Along with offering various methods of therapy to students, administrators focus on a process called “leveling,” according to mental health specialist Sophie Nellhaus.

“Leveling is based on symptom severity and diagnosis,” Nellhaus said. “If you have a diagnosis, it depends on what services you would get. So, it’s level one to four, with four being the most severe. If you’re a level three or four, then you get more consistent, individual counseling services. Level one and two are more like walk-ins and workshops, and then you can kind of evaluate them over time.”

While mental health is still often cast in a negative light, social media has a noticeable influence on students and their decision to utilize counseling services. 

“Students are kind of coming in with more knowledge than before,” Nellhaus said. “Some people will come in knowing exactly what type of counseling they want, and I think it’s kind of- I don’t want to say it’s just a TikTok thing, but I do feel like social media in general has been providing people with more information and making them more self-aware.” 

With 24/7 availability, the Counseling Center remains a stable resource for all students on campus at any time for any reason, according to Nellhaus. 

“Our slogan is ‘We Are Here for You,’ and we really are,” Nellhaus said. “It’s a safe place and somewhere you can always go.”