It’s not particularly easy to talk about, but I’ve struggled with mental health all my life. I’ve been in and out of therapy since I was eight and have a formal diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and clinical depression. I manage it with medication, but one thing that really works for me is weekly therapy.

Studies have shown therapy can change your brain. People who struggle with mental health issues can benefit from going to regular talk therapy, and it should be widely accessible. However it is not, especially on the St. Thomas campus.

The St. Thomas Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is a department that tries to help students that struggle with mental health issues. According to the the most recent survey from the directors of college psychological services, 21 percent of counseling center students have severe mental health concerns, and 40 percent have mild mental health concerns. On a campus of 6,000 undergraduates, I understand that it’s hard to manage every students’ psychological concerns, but it should be a main priority.

I have been to CAPS many times in my college career, and I’m still over a year away from graduating. There are a lot of ways they try and combat the need for more resources, but it is simply not enough.

The individual therapy limit at CAPS is 12 sessions a year, and they strongly recommend weekly sessions. At this rate, students can run out of sessions in 12 weeks, which is less than the length of a semester.

Twelve weeks is problematic because this permeates the idea that mental health can be cured. Mental health issues need continuous care and there needs to be a better way to offer individual support to students.

They have a three-week program to help students address basic needs such as self care and priorities, and they offer group therapy options, and there is no limit to how much you can participate in these.

I have participated in group therapy, and it is much harder to establish a relationship with a licensed psychologist as well as a group of students than to just do individual therapy. There are also inaccessible times for group therapy, which makes it even harder for students to try.

If you are not able to get on the weekly therapy schedule, or you are out of individual sessions, CAPS refers students off campus. All of the resources are within five miles of campus, but even this is a burden for students who struggle with anxiety and depression.

The extra effort it takes to get off campus may not seem worth it to students who really need help with mental health issues. One of the symptoms of depression is loss of interest in daily activities. This makes it that much harder to have the effort to find a way to get off campus, as well as managing the way insurance works.

With the creation of the new St. Thomas Center for Wellness, I am hopeful that the school will put focus on the mental health issues that need to be addressed. The resources that students need should be a priority, and students should have access to weekly therapy if they feel that is helpful to them.

Abby Sliva can be reached at sliv7912@stthomas.edu.