As enrollment has surged at colleges and universities, so has the demand for student mental health services. But in Florida, there is a desperate lack of money for those services, and education leaders say the situation has reached a crisis stage. The Florida Legislature, which rejected a push last year for more money, should avoid making the same mistake this year.
College is often a time of stress and anxiety, which can trigger mental health issues. Students enter a new world with grown-up demands and newfound independence, often without an immediate support network. While that has always been true, experts attribute the uptick in students experiencing psychological problems to factors such as social media and financial pressure, Tampa Bay Times staff writer Claire McNeill recently reported. And because of the availability of better treatments, more students with serious mental health diagnoses may be filling campuses. In Florida, the number of student counseling clients has increased by nearly 50 percent over a six-year period. Another troubling statistic: 10 of Florida’s 12 state universities fail to meet the recommended staffing level of one counselor per 1,000 students. The ratio reaches as high as one counselor for every 3,400 students.
All this has put the state’s colleges and universities behind the curve. The same number of counselors can’t treat 50 percent more clients without something having to give. So wait times for appointments at campus health centers have grown longer — a potentially harmful delay for students struggling to cope. The University of South Florida’s counseling center provides free, unlimited session for students, but the wait for an appointment can stretch two or three weeks. At other schools, it can be a month. Students in acute crisis are given priority, and USF also offers group therapy, online support and meditation seminars to supplement one-on-one counseling. But USF and Florida’s other universities simply need more resources in order to keep up.
Higher education leaders are asking for an additional $14.5 million in the 2017-18 state budget for campus mental health services. That would pay for 137 new counseling staff, including 25 at USF — doubling its current staff — as well as extended hours. The Board of Governors, which oversees Florida’s public colleges and universities, is well aware of the need and will push for funding in the Legislature. Lawmakers are facing a tight budget year, but student mental health should not get short shrift. Rep. Kathleen Peters, R-South Pasadena, who has championed mental health reform in the past, should use her voice to make sure this issue is heard.
Florida’s college students need mental health support just like they need safe campuses and challenging courses. This is a need that affects thousands of families, and it will only continue to grow. Stagnant funding has led to understaffed counseling centers and more students going without help. This year, there’s no excuse for the Legislature to ignore the issue.
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