Moving away from home and coming to college can be a life-altering transition for most people and being alone, away from family can be stressful, lonely and isolating. Many students struggle by themselves and do not have the community or outlet to be open about what they are going through; others may not know what mental health resources UTSA provides, and, therefore, do not know how to get help during troubling times. While meeting with a counselor or therapist can be expensive, at UTSA, counseling services are free and available to both students and staff. While taking care of their mental health may be far from most students’ top list of priorities, mental health affects every area of our lives. 

UTSA provides free counseling services and 24/7 assistance to students who are in an emergency. If you are struggling or need to talk to someone, you can call UTSA counseling services to schedule an appointment or, if it is an emergency, contact their emergency hotline where you will be connected with mental health professionals. This is a part of the Student Support Program (SSP). There is an SSP app where you can get in contact with mental health professionals online or over the phone. If your situation is an emergency, call the number 210-458-4140 and select option 3.

Perhaps you have found yourself in an emergency situation or you are afraid of getting to that point. Emergency situations include, “I am concerned about being able to stay safe or keep myself safe, I currently plan to kill or harm myself, I have taken steps to end my life in the last two weeks, I am afraid I might physically hurt someone else, I hear or see things others do not.” These are all situations that should not be kept to yourself; you can reach out to individuals who can give you the assistance and steps to preventing circumstances from escalating. 

UTSA provides both individual and group counseling. Individual, short-term counseling may be helpful if you experience any issues of anxiety, depression, relationship distress, eating disorders, anger management issues, OCD, alcohol/substance abuse, low self-esteem, coping with HIV or other STDs, self-defeating behaviors, sexual problems and thoughts of harming self or others. 

Group counseling is also a great way to get connected with others and to have a support system in place. The phone numbers and steps to receiving assistance can be found on the Counseling Services page on UTSA’s website. You can look on RowdyLink or call 210-458-4140 (option 2) for more information, including links for attending meetings. There is a schedule on Wellbeing Services of the seminars UTSA has for group counseling. Both individual and group counseling is available in-person and online. 

In addition to these resources, free mental health screenings and assessments are available. These assessments will deal with questions related to depression, bipolar disorder, alcohol abuse, eating disorders, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. In a couple of minutes, you can find out professional consultation would be helpful. These screenings are available to all students and are taken anonymously. 

Therapy and counseling can be important tools to deal with emotional instability, trauma and mental illness. Counseling can also benefit those who are simply feeling alone, stressed or overwhelmed and may not have struggled with mental illness in the past. Since mental health resources are already part of a student’s tuition, it is a great idea to reach out and schedule an individual or group counseling meeting. Students should take the necessary steps to prioritize their mental health, as mental health is equally as important as physical health. Our grades, relationships and jobs can suffer because we are not taking care of ourselves and talking about the feelings and issues that we may not realize are there or that we have not been able to be open about.