If you are a student at Grossmont College struggling with mental health, you may not know about the free services available at the Health and Wellness Center.
This semester, all students paid a $22 mandatory health fee, which provides students with access to free mental health resources, including counseling, various forms of therapy and wellness workshops.
What to Expect
Free counseling from licensed counselors is one of the many services offered by the Health and Wellness Center. “Students can walk in, and if one of us is available, we will see them right away,” said Leticia “Leti” Estrella, a mental health counselor at Grossmont.
According to Subhawana “Su” Pradhananga, a registered nurse at the center, students who are willing to wait for an appointment can fill out an online availability form, and a counselor will contact them to schedule an appointment.
Pradhananga said the center hosts a “very diverse group of healthcare professionals,” with many speaking more than one language, serving Grossmont’s equally diverse student community.
Pradhananga said the center is also an LGBTQ-friendly space. “We are allies,” Estrella said.
According to Matthew Ring, another mental health counselor, the center also hosts workshops, which can be a great option to take advantage of the college’s mental health resources without having to commit to an appointment with a counselor.
This month, the center offered virtual workshops for time management, stress management and dealing with test anxiety. Workshops and events by the Health and Wellness Center are posted on the Grossmont website and the center’s Instagram page.
“It’s a diverse team of nurses and mental health counselors,” Pradhananga said. “So we’re taking care of the whole person versus just the physical need or just a mental need.”
Although staff at the center do not have a way to prescribe medication for mental health treatment, counselors will work with students to get them connected with clinicians who can, according to Ring. He said students with insurance looking to connect with a psychiatrist or other healthcare professionals can come to the center for help.
Despite the Health and Wellness Center offering a variety of support from a team of licensed professionals, some students are unaware of the resources available to them.
Student Antonio Fernandez said he doesn’t know a lot about mental health services on campus and wishes there were more information posted around campus.
“I feel like I’ve seen posters up for pretty much everything else,” Fernandez said.
Anxious to Reach Out?
Another student, Elizabeth Cepeda, said she also had seen very few posters or advertising for therapy or any of the other mental health services on campus, and touched on some students’ apprehension about accessing mental health resources.
“I think even if students do hear about it, they’re still a little more reserved, because everyone’s always scared to reach out for that kind of thing,” Cepeda said.
Both students agreed they had seen posters for the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline that read: “If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.”
However, some students express anxiety about calling 988 due to potential involvement of law enforcement.
“I feel like that’s a slippery slope to go down for sure,” Cepeda said. “Like, you’re calling for help and then law enforcement is getting involved, that’s a really tense situation to be in.”
According to the 988 Lifeline website, “less than two percent of 988 Lifeline calls involve emergency services,” and in the majority of cases, “emergency dispatches occur with the callers’ consent.”
According to Dianne Abdullah Smith, a Health Services Specialist at Grossmont, the Health and Wellness Center has seen an increase in students in crisis seeking immediate assistance. As a result, 988 posters have been displayed to provide students with access to a lifeline, even when the center’s staff is unavailable.
Pradhananga mentioned that the clinicians at the center are also trained to handle crisis interventions.
She said if a clinician isn’t available to support a student in crisis, the center also has access to external resources to support students. According to Pradhananga, the center has a partnership with the County of San Diego’s Mobile Crisis Response Team, which can assist students, “especially when the counselors are not available,” she said.
The Mobile Crisis Response Team, or the MCRT, is usually comprised of two clinicians and a peer mentor who can help to talk to students, Pradhananga said. She said the MCRT is a voluntary service, so students would not be forcibly admitted to care, and there is no risk of law enforcement getting involved.
Beyond Talk Therapy
Pradhananga said outside the fears of getting crisis care, many students don’t know that receiving therapy at the center is more than just talking to a licensed clinician. “All they have is what they see in movies,” she said.
Estrella said many of the counselors have additional training in different techniques such as narrative therapy, sound healing and hypnosis.
Taking care of mental health can also mean spending some quiet time in nature.
When the September heat subsides, Smith said many of the counselors have been meeting in the main quad area at 3 p.m. for “grounding” sessions.
Students are invited to take their shoes off and sit in the shade to feel the ground beneath them. According to Pradhananga, scientific research has shown that having a physical connection with nature can be beneficial for mental health.
Ring said, “Having the resources here that people need, I think, is a good step in supporting our students so that they can be successful and meet their goals.”
Smith said she wants all students to know they are welcome into the Health and Wellness Center, and the team is ready to support students, whether their needs are mental or physical.
“Our doors are open,” she said. “Come on in. Don’t be afraid.”
The Health and Wellness Center is located in the Student Center (60-130). It is open Mondays through Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more info, email [email protected] or call 619-644-7192.
