New Normal: Counseling Numbers Skyrocket

By Gisselle Rueda, Skyline Reporter

ALPINE- Sul Ross State University students seeking mental health counseling have skyrocketed by more than 60% this year, officials said.

They attribute the increase – 83 appointments this September compared to 33 last year in the same month – to life after Covid, in-person sessions and social-media driven anxiety.

Further, according to Mary Schwartze, director of counseling and accessibility services, students seem more willing than their predecessors to reach out for help.

“Your generation is making that shift and talking about it,” Schwartze said.

Additionally, Schwartze said her office has made a point of increasing their outreach to students by attending freshman seminars and new student orientations, and setting up a table outside the University center the first Thursday of every month where students have access to counseling information.

“We have done a lot of outreach this year,” she said.

Due to the pandemic, sessions were held strictly over Zoom during the 2021 fall semester. Now, students are able to choose between counseling sessions on Zoom or in person. So far, counselors said, there has been only one Zoom session this semester.

Schwartze said students report issues such as anxiety and depression.

Social media also plays a major role in why individuals experience anxiety and depression, she said. Online usage is relevant when mental health is discussed, because social media users constantly compare themselves to others, which results in self-doubt and lower self-esteem.