Caring for Students’ Mental Health: Meet the Counseling Center Interns

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, another epidemic of its own was making headlines: the mental health of college students. They are experiencing anxiety, depression and substance abuse at increasingly higher rates than the general population. Experts suggest that economic uncertainties, an around-the-clock news cycle and the distractions and pressures of the Internet, specifically social media, have all contributed to the rise in mental health issues. And, not surprisingly, mental health needs have become even more pressing with the onset of the pandemic—making access to support, resources and help more critical than ever before.

Gordon’s Counseling Center offers a safe, objective and confidential place for students to get help with any variety of challenges. Roughly half of the student body engages with the Counseling Center in one way or another—through one-on-one counseling, seminars, panel discussions, trainings, book groups or the new Tandemic Initiative, which is a peer mentoring program to promote adaptive coping amid the pandemic. While the Counseling Center is primarily a resource for undergraduate students, they also offer one-time consultations to Gordon alumni as well as a plethora of self-help resources and off-campus referrals. 

Each semester, the Counseling Center welcomes interns, many of whom are completing practicum requirements for their master’s degrees and preparing to enter the field full-time. The Bell caught up with this semester’s interns who will be working alongside the Counseling Center’s full-time staff to care for the mental health needs of Gordon students.