When the University of Idaho shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, the Counseling and Testing Center moved all their services online within a week, relying on telepsychiatry visits rather than in person appointments.
Telepsychiatry is the use of technology to provide psychiatric care virtually. The center has been using Zoom for the appointments.
“At this point we have been doing telepsychiatry for almost a year, so everybody’s gotten quite proficient at it.” CTC Director Gregory Lambeth said.
The shift from providing all services in person to now 100% online was a drastic change for everyone.
“The biggest challenges were not unforeseen,” Lambeth said. “They were about how clinicians and clients both were going to adapt to doing the work in a very different kind of way.”
Lambeth believes it has been tiring for clinicians to do appointments solely on Zoom throughout the entire day, but they have proven their stamina.
“We were able to provide the continuity of our services,” Lambeth said. “We are still an accessible resource.”
The inability to see clients in person does limit some aspects of counseling. Evaluations for some disorders must be done in person, with tests involving the manipulation of objects or speed.
At this time, such testing through the CTC has been restricted to what can be done virtually. Lambeth hopes to bring back in person evaluations this summer, on a limited basis.
The use of telepsychiatry has allowed the center to schedule appointments with students on other UI campuses, which has not been possible in the past.
The CTC has offered group counseling in the past, now on Zoom, and has grown to eight groups in total. Group counseling allows clients to interact with other students facing similar struggles. This can validate individuals’ experiences and allow them to hear how others have dealt with similar struggles. Lambeth said this social form of counseling is needed now more than ever.
“That’s the most groups we’ve ever run at the CTC,” Lambeth said. “One of the things impacted the most by the pandemic is social connections and the ability to interact with friends and peers.”
Despite seeing a downturn in the number of students contacting the center, Lambeth believes there is evidence of a greater need to address mental health symptoms on campus.
In 2019, the number of unique clients who visited the CTC was 1,269. This number declined to just 1,187 in 2020.
While these numbers do not account for the change in student population, Lambeth said the decrease is still significant.
The number of clinical appointments at the CTC increased overall, but the number of different students requesting services has decreased. This means individual students may be more likely to consistently make appointments, but fewer students overall are accessing the center.
Normal appointments are only provided online, however crisis situations have been addressed in person. This includes clients who are manic, highly distressed, agitated or intoxicated.
Despite the perception that students may need more support during this isolating and stressful time, the CTC has seen a notable drop in the number of crisis situations brought to them.
In 2019, the CTC addressed 244 student crises. In 2020, the center has only seen 110.
“I don’t think there are fewer emergencies out there for mental health,” Lambeth said. “The more disconnected students are from the learning environment of a campus, the less likely they are to use the mental health services.”
The CTC has 24/7 access to crisis support over the phone at 208-885-6716. The center accepts walk-ins for students experiencing a crisis.
When it comes to those who have already been experiencing mental health issues before the pandemic, it is likely the past year has been an increased struggle.
“Those students, as a whole, are more vulnerable to the social isolation and other kinds of impact of COVID,” Lambeth said. “Certainly within our client population, there have been some students who have been quite significantly impacted. Who came into the pandemic already with mental health issues.”
With students who are experiencing mood symptoms, anxiety, increased substance use or suicidal ideation behavior the past year, Lambeth urges them to seek out the center.
“The emphasis is really shifting around campus right now onto the mental health aspect,” Lambeth said. “The fact that we can continue to provide services in the telepsychiatry environment is a very positive thing.”
The center is uncertain about how next semester’s services may look post-pandemic.
“There’s a lot of lingering questions,” Lambeth said. “But none of them are as urgent or pressing as the ones we had last year.”
Lambeth believes some aspects of telepsychiatry will remain, but the CTC has yet to decide.
Amanda Ferstead, the Mental Health Coordinator for Vandal Health Education, has been holding workshops online during the past year.
Vandal Health also has workshops like Mental Health First Aid to help train individuals to respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse.
Despite COVID-19, Ferstead has actually found an increase in student engagement with workshops.
Each year, students participate in the National College Health Assessment, a survey that evaluates different factors in students’ health.
Ferstead found two factors to be the most notable in 2020’s findings: loneliness and stress.
The assessment rates students either positive or negative for loneliness, according to their scale. In 2019, nearly 50% of participants rated positive for loneliness. This increased in 2020 to roughly 5%%.
Students experiencing high levels of stress have increased as well, from 28% in 2019 to 35% the following year.
Such statistics seem to be directly impacted by the past year of social distancing.
“I think we are going to be seeing the impacts for a while,” Ferstead said. “I think folks will need to be fine tuning their self-care strategies or start developing new ones.”
In the face of new struggles, Ferstead hopes students reach out to each other to check in.
“It’s about setting up that network of support and reaching out when you need it,” Ferstead said.
CTC appointments can be scheduled by calling 208-885-6716 with further information online. Vandal Health Education’s workshop and resources can be accessed on their website.
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq