Mental health counseling for students living on campus just got a lot more accessible.

During his June 28 report to the Student Senate, Student Government President John Aloszka announced that an additional mental health counselor would be embedded in Building 14B, the Department of Housing and Residence Life.

President Aloszka said he and his staff didn’t realize how important the issue of accessible mental health counseling was to students until they were on the campaign trail.

“We wanted to do it because it was the right thing to do, but we didn’t realize the reaction to it would be so overwhelming,” President Aloszka said.

The embedded counselor in Building 14B will function as a satellite office for the Counseling Center, relieving some of the main office’s workload and being open for walk-in consultations during select days and times.

“Even as Enrollment is growing at 3 percent — which is a healthy amount for the university — the usage of the Counseling Center year-by-year grows by 5 percent. So, it’s really outpacing the university’s growth,” Aloszka said. “That shows, to me, that there’s a systematic need for it.”

In addition to the embedded counselor, President Aloszka said he and his staff plan to further address stress and anxiety on campus with wellness events, such as the upcoming “Golden Hour Yoga,” and looking for solutions to prevalent student problems, like the wait times at One Stop Student Services.

Students requiring counseling or consultation services should reach out to the Counseling Center directly at (904) 620-2602, or by walking into the main office in Building 2, Room 2300 to schedule an appointment.

More information about the services provided by the Counseling Center, scheduling appointments and the embedded on-campus counselor can be found at the Counseling Center’s website.

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