College brings many new challenges to students as they navigate growing up and new independence. One area in which students may face these challenges is in mental health. 

“Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds,” according to the World Health Organization. A large portion of Colorado State University students fall into this age range, highlighting the importance of having accessible mental health support at the university.

“Traditional college students are at a vulnerable age when many serious mental illnesses present, so screening and treatment are important to prevent the consequences of untreated illness,” said Dawnelle Schatte, director of psychiatry services at the CSU Health Network. “Mental health is critical so that students can focus on living their best lives, building relationships and succeeding academically.”

The CSU Health Network offers services including well-being workshops, online tools and screenings that students can take at home, Schatte said. 

Counseling and therapy options are available to students who first attend on-call counseling, Schatte said. Students can access brief problem-focused therapy, group therapy and referrals to long-term individual therapy.

“We want everyone to feel welcome at CSU Health Network, and we don’t want any barriers keeping a student from seeking care.” –Dawnelle Schatte, CSU Health Network director of psychiatry services

In addition to counseling, psychiatric services are also offered. “CSU Health Network providers can assess (mental illness) concerns and determine a possible medication solution, if appropriate, to support ongoing stability and student success,” according to the Health Network website. 

On-call counseling services are supported by student fees and therefore are at no cost to students. Additionally, all students at CSU are required to have health insurance, which can be billed to access medical and psychiatric services. 

“If someone is wondering if they should seek professional mental health services, there is likely something going on that is bothering them,” Schatte said. “I think if a student is concerned that they are not functioning at their best (not sleeping, not enjoying life, not able to study and perform like they used to, etc.) it would be worthwhile to look into what might be going on.”

Student feedback has played an important role in the development of CSU’s mental health services, Schatte said. For example, neurodivergent students asked in the past for ways to contact the team through methods not involving phone calls. As a result of those concerns, there is now a secure messaging platform for students to use text-based communication.

The Health Network uses feedback to influence future improvements and obtains much of this feedback through the Student Health Advisory Council, “a group of students who serves as liaison between the student body and the CSU Health Network,” according to the Health Network website. 

“We have a process of quality improvement and review where we analyze wait times, student feedback and numbers of visits to try to target resources where they are most needed,” Schatte said. 

In addition to feedback, accessibility is also valued by the Health Network, Schatte said.

“We want everyone to feel welcome at CSU Health Network, and we don’t want any barriers keeping a student from seeking care,” Schatte said. “A recent graduating student told me how sad they were to be leaving CSU because it had been so convenient to get such high-quality care for body and mind health all in one place.”

Reach Samy Gentle at science@collegian.com or on Twitter  @samy_gentle_.