Minority groups in the United States are less likely to seek help for mental health issues than the Caucasian population according to many studies. ISU Student Counseling Center has been doing its best to serve its underrepresented populations.

Terry Mason, assistant vice president of the Student Counseling Service, said his department has partnered with offices across campus, including the International Students and Scholars office, to make its presence known among the student population.

“What we also look at are groups that we consider to be underserved,” Mason said. “International students are some of those, and in particular, the Pacific Rim. [We see] African American and Latino/a students at a higher percentage than in the general student population.”

Suzanne Zilber, a private practice psychologist in Ames who worked for the Student Counseling Center for 14 years, said there are many reasons minority students may not seek help — stemming from someone’s personal experience or culture.

“If you are an ethnic minority and you’ve had negative experiences with white teachers or other authority figures you might feel reluctant to go to a therapist, or believe they may be able to understand their issues,” Zilber said.

“Another important group to reach out to is returning veterans,” Mason said. “Counseling services has been working to provide support for veterans as an underserved group.”

Visibility is important in getting students to seek the help they need.  In Student Counseling Service’s partnership with the International Students Scholars Office, psychologists meet with student organizations or have the staff speak to international students.

“Taking time to reach out to students, results in an increase in clinical demand,” Mason said. “It helps students realize counseling services are available.”

Outreach by counseling services is intended as a preventive step to get students help before a crisis occurs, and to increase the visibility of the kinds of help students can receive on campus.

Mason has seen a continued increase in demand over the years. Last time student enrollment was stable, there was increased clinical demand.

Last year counseling services saw a 15 percent increase in demand, along with a 93 percent approval rate.

With that increase, the Student Counseling Service has worked to get students access to help sooner and more effectively, cutting their wait list from 147 to 65 in the last year. The counseling service has shortened their initial screening from 50 minutes to around 25 minutes and matches students with a service by the end of the day.

With the limited resources, counseling services has to do a triage system where the most severe problems are dealt with first.

Less urgent cases can sometimes be handled by methods not requiring seeing a counselor. This depends on what the Student Counseling Service determines is best for the student and what the student is comfortable with.

Students who are suicidal or are in crisis will be seen that day without having to wait or go through an automated system.

“I think that whenever there’s a student who is really suffering and struggling with anxiety or depression, it tends to affect other people,” Zilber said.