Seton Hall offers several resources on campus that support students with their mental health. Students can visit Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Health Services for support and assistance.
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“We offer students an opportunity to express their feelings and problem solve,” said Diane Lynch, the director of Health Services. “Our staff are trained to provide basic interventions to help a student cope by providing relaxation exercises and tips, as well as information about the role of sleep, nutrition and regular exercise in relation to stress management and performance.”
Lynch said that in addition to referring patients to CAPS, they also help students suffering from anxiety and depression or high-risk behaviors connect to other on-and-off campus support and health care providers.
Aurora Arrington, a senior philosophy major, said she began visiting CAPS in hour-long sessions every other week in order to support her mental health last fall.
“I have always gone to therapy on-and-off because I wanted medication for my depression and anxiety,” Arrington said. “CAPS definitely helped me because I saw an improvement in my overall life.”
A junior computer science major, who asked to remain anonymous, said that they did not have a great experience with CAPS when they attended a group session.
“I went to CAPS around six times,” the student said. “I would say that I did not have the best experience because it felt ineffective.”
The student explained that the group talk seemed ineffective because they could not discuss topics in-depth with one another.
Another student, who asked to remain anonymous and is a senior public relations major said she initially had little expectations going into her session as previous therapy sessions with an outside source had proven to be ineffective for her.
“I went to CAPS because I was going through a lot and starting to feel depressed and wanted to talk to someone,” the student said. “I went to my appointment and I loved it. The lady I talked to really understood me and I felt like I could trust her. I went a good amount of times after that and I am really glad that I pushed myself to go.”
Lynch explained that Health Services routinely screens students who visit their office once a year for anxiety and depression. She said the interventions provided by Health Services help identify the degree of anxiety and depression an individual is suffering from and make decisions as to whether or not a referral is necessary.
Services provided by CAPS are free to Seton Hall students and are offered year-round. Students can visit their website for to learn more about these services.
Zoey Dotson can be reached at zoey.dotson@student.shu.edu.
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